Scientific-Technological Revolution And The Rise And Decline Of Soviet Union's Socialist Mode

When the Russian October Revolution happened in 1917, the First Scientific-Technological Revolution had just finished in the main western capitalist countries, while the Second Scientific-Technological Revolution was rising. In its 70 history years, Soviet Union utilized the achievements of the First and the Second Scientific-Technological Revolution creatively. In this course, Soviet Union's highly centralized planning management system had established and consolidated. At the same time, this kind of management system met the needs of these two revolutions and brought about an economic advance, which then realized Soviet Union's industrialization. In the process of the Third Scientific-Technological Revolution, Soviet Union applied a strategy that catch up and surpass U.S.A and then compete the world hegemony. So Soviet Union concentrated its strength to develop the national defense technology and military industries, which just accords with the characteristics of the Third Revolution. The management system of Soviet Union had both advantage and disadvantage respects to the Third Revolution. As far as the Fourth Scientific-Technological Revolution was concerned, Soviet Union's management system had already become a serious obstacle. In the development of Soviet Union, there once appeared the efforts to attempt to break through the traditional system, but did not succeed. This thesis is guided under the Marxism about the inevitable connection between Scientific-Technological Revolution and socialism, probes into the inherent relationship of the Scientific-Technological Revolution and the rise and decline of Soviet Union socialist mode, and tries to look for a new explanation for Soviet Union's disintegration. When Soviet Union's management system suited to the First and Second Scientific-Technological Revolution, its socialism enterprise showed a dogged vitality; when the management system of Soviet Union did not suit to the Third Scientific-Technological Revolution completely, though its socialism enterprise achieved greatly, there also produced a deep contradiction either; when the management system of Soviet Union did not adapt to the Fourth Scientific-Technological Revolution totally, Soviet Union's socialism model lost its existing rationality, which at last led to being eliminated completely. The author considers that the misplacement and absurdity of the Scientific-Technological Revolution and the highly centralized planning management is an important reason to lead to Soviet Union's disintegration. Therefore, the author thinks that only setting up a flexible and open management system, the socialist countries could utilize fully the achievements of science and technology to promote the development of productivity and make socialism vigorous.