Contenu du sommaire

The defense expenditures in Poland and Hungary during the seventies USSR, Poland and Hungary differ in the ways in which they account for their military expenditures, often very deceptively, while publishing total magnitudes that include them. But all ways have a common Soviet root, reaching back in time behind curent Soviet practice. On the basis of prior work by the author on Soviet militay finance, the Polish military budget and the placement of all military expenditures in the n.m.p. and the I/O tables is approximated for 1977 : contrary to widespread impression the published military budget appears to cover all expenditures defined as military (i.e. not science and pensions). But a similar exercice for Hungary 1970 varies between the published budget and twice as much. If Poland spends as little as it says, and USSR as much as the CIA says, what does that tell us about the politics of the Warsaw Pact ? Does it differ much from NATO in the unequal burden placed on the superpower ?

Soviet computers : three decades of unavoidable history Freed from the laws of the market which, in the West, govern technical innovation, computers in the USSR have followed a specific pattern of development, with 1969 as a pivotal year. The author highlights the change which took place at that period in Soviet industrial policy in the area of information technology (the new research and development body, the common East-European programme on information technology) and justifies classifying these developments under two main periods, thus : - first period (the 1950's and I960's) independent development, - second period (the 1970's and 1980's) East-European cooperation. Each phase of development justifies the drawing-up of a balance-sheet. The « state of the art » at the end of the 60's, on the one hand, and at the middle of the 80's on the other, comprise the key sections of this study, which itself carries an outline of the unavoidable Est- West comparisons. If one considers only the tool, and not the use that is made of it, there are indications of a certain backwardness in development, and the germs of this can be identified (for example, the weight of the microprocess in current developments). The importance of East-European co-operation (within the context of the ISDL - The International Socialist Division of Labour) and the contribution of the members are underlined, as also a certain form of specialization, with the Soviet Union at the top end of the scale.

Evaluation of investment performances in Poland during the 1970's The process of investment during the 1970's is generally regarded as one of the main causes of the economic crisis of the 1980's. This is why an analysis of this system in its theoretical and practical aspects continues to be of immediate relevance. In this article, the author attempts to evaluate investment performance in the light of the following criteria : - internal coherence of the centralized system of investment management, - internal coherence of the centralized system of investment management, - its external coherence, - stability and flexibility of the centralized system, - utility of the system with reference to the specific nature of the investments, - efficiency. His conclusion is that, while the development of productive forces and the accompanying concentration require an improvement in the centralized management of investment, he finds it difficult to accept a strenghtening of the part played by direct compulsory contracts. The principle of centralized management of economic units in no way implies a given form of management or the need for the use of administrative directives. His view is that this style of management does not meet the requirements of the forces of production, because it hampers the autonomy of economic units and acts as a brake on worker's creativity. The reduction in the role of administrative directives, and an increase in economic incentives seem to him, therefore, to be the best solution.

The new system of stimulation for Polish enterprises Wage reform in Poland is an essential element in the new economic mechanisms which have been operating since 1982. The aim is to lower decision-making process to the level of the enterprise. Wage increases, and particularly the calculation of bonuses, should in future be based on performance in the work-unit and no longer solely on levels fixed centrally and very often exceeded. Thus, it is for the Centre to set maximum and minimum limits for the various wage categories, and for the enterprise to fix, according to their means, movement within these wage categories and the methods by which bonuses are awarded. A general job evaluation is called for : this should contribute to a rationalization of employment, and a better utilization of machinery. In this respect, however, no changes are in sight, the constraining logic of the system prevails, and the unions, who are co-signatories of these agreements, pay the price for the dissatisfaction demonstrated by the workers and other official bodies.

The Polish government and its relations with the Soviet Union during the second world war The difficulties which have marked Poland's relations with the USSR, in the past as well as at the present time, are not only political in their nature, but above all stem from the different historical and cultural backgrounds in which each of these two countries has developed. The article outlines these relations prior to the second world war, and then the repercussions of the Soviet-German pact of 1939, and finally the consequences which ensued, in other words the occupation of Poland and the move of the Polish government abroad. Having briefly summarized these problems, the author comes to the heart of the matter with the Soviet-Polish agreement, known as the « Sikorski-Maisky agreement » of July 1941, which was concluded under British auspices, and provided for the formation of a Polish army under general Anders. The discovery, in April 1943, of the Katyn massacre, for which the Russians were responsible, marks a turning-point in relations with the Polish government, relations which were broken by Moscow, where Stalin was preparing the government which he was subsequently to impose on Poland. This is the background to the situation, lived in Poland by the heads of the Resistance and in London by the Polish government, against which the author describes Soviet policy and the instructions given to the Red Army upon its entry into Polish territory. An overall view of events, and diplomatic and military efforts on the part of the Poles, proves their determination to renew links with the USSR, whose leadership were, from the beginning, only concerned with the annihilation of Poland as she was. It follows from this, on the one hand, that the difficulties arising in Soviet-Polish relations did not stem from problems over frontiers, which was what the Kremlin sought to convey, and, finally, that these relations always acted as a sort of barometer of Soviet policy in Europe.

Self-management and agriculture : the case of a Slovene co-operative Since the beginning of the 1980's, Yugoslavia has been undergoing what its economists, sociologists and political scientists would be the first to define as a crisis, followed, with a few years' delay, by the political leadership. Throughout the country, the situation has been analysed from every angle, and its underlying mechanisms exposed to view, the result being a fairly pessimistic set of conclusions about the outcome of this overall crisis. The author of this article does not attempt to minimize the gravity of the problem at present facing the Yugoslav people and their leaders, but is mainly concerned with an analysis and description of an experiment which is rated as remarkably successful from the technical, economic, social and also cultural point of view : the development, over the past twenty years, of a mountain valley in the Slovene Federal Republic. The subject is the development of an entire valley whose pivotal point was an agricultural cooperative, and which displayed three major characteristics : perseverance on the part of the families of private farmers, an outstandingly democratic aspect affecting both the original initiative, which came from the « base », and the running of the co-operative, and the significant part played by the policy of decentralization implemented by the Republican authorities and the relevant municipalities (implantation of numerous industrial enterprises into this rural area, and the resultant fusion of industry and agriculture).