Basic Causes of Soviet Industry's Low International Competitiveness

Abstract

This article examines why Soviet industrial, and especially engineering products are not, as a rule, internationally competitive, although the USSR, for nearly half a century now, ranks second in world industrial and engineering output. It is ascertained that the low competitiveness is due to the low quality and technological level of the products and is a result of hasty industrialisation and the lack of a creative scientific and enterprising climate, which prevents the country from utilising efficiently its enormous potential.