COMECON+-+12-13


 * COMECON **

** BRIEF DESCRIPTION **

Comecon was established in January 1949, and lasted until 1991, with the purpose of easing economic development in the eastern European countries that belonged to the Soviet bloc. As the image shows above, the original members of this organization were the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. A while later, Albania joined the organization but ended its participation in 1961. In September 1950, the German Democratic Republic entered the union and the Mongolian People's Republic also did in June of 1962. In 1964, Yugoslavia was registered as a member, and these countries continue the COMECON until today. Originally, this was created as a council for mutual assistance where the Soviet Union would financially support countries that were part of its bloc. However, in reality, the Soviets used this to control the economies of the member states, giving themselves access to the abundance of resources especially by encouraging certain countries to specialize in a particular area. For example, COMECON urged Czechoslovakia into concentrating on heavy industry and Romania to focus on continued production of food. This organization can be seen as the Eastern bloc's reply to the formation of the OEEC (Organization of European Economic Cooperation).

** THE "MAJOR PLAYERS" **

I. At the very beginnings of COMECON, there were six main members: ** Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, ** and the ** Soviet Union **. However, over the course of time more additions were made to the board and the number of member states increased.

II. In February of 1949, ** Albania ** joined the organization, but only until 1961, when they left the union due to the Soviet-Albanian split.

III. In 1950, ** East Germany ** became a member state. This was during the Cold War period when the east portion of Germany was under Soviet (communist) control and the west side was under the control of the democratic nations, Britain, France, and United States.

IV. In 1962, ** Mongolia ** joined COMECON, followed by the communist nation under Fidel Castro, ** Cuba ** in 1972, and ** Vietnam ** in 1978.

** DATES TO KNOW ** • 1949 COMECON founded with the six prime nations • 1950 Stalin brings COMECON operations to a momentary halt when he was "taken by surprise" by the COMECON personnel and is deeply unhappy

• 1953 Stalin's death. COMECON starts to find its footing and revives again

• 1956 Ten standing committees arise each to deal with a specific sector

• From 1964: observer nations emerged in COMECON (observer nations worked to oversee the organization, but were not officially member states) i) 1964: Yugoslavia becomes an observer state ii) 1973 Finland becomes an observer state iii) 1975 Finland and Mexico become observer states iv) 1984, Nicaragua becomes an observer nation v) 1986, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Laos, and South Vietnam become observer nations

• 1971 COMECON adopts the Comprehensive Program that caused huge economic changes

• 1972 oil transfers begin amongst the COMECON nations: tighter bond of necessity is constructed between the member states

** THE OUTCOME ** For more than three decades, COMECON existed as the basic framework for cooperation for the member nations that were linked economically to the Soviet Union. Although COMECON had momentary failures in the middle due to Stalin's disapproval of it, it was able to raise the economies of the allies of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Allies in the Third World. Over the thirty years it operated, the once unstable organization was able to grow gradually to a reasonably large scope and experience. As time passed, the organization now includes a range of institutions that are quite complex and represent enormous capabilities. From merely exchanging experiences, to providing technical assistance, and finally to mutual aid, COMECON was successful in forming an integrated set of economic plans to stimulate each of the economies.

** HOW DID IT INFLUENCE THE COLD WAR? ** Originally established as a counter form to the OEEC, COMECON dealt mainly with the economies of the nations that were part of the Soviet Bloc, thus it did not directly impact the Cold War. While the United States issued the Marshall Plan to grant financial aid to nations that were in turmoil, the Soviet Union denied this and so did the nations that were related to this communist power. Thus, in response, COMECON provided this economic backbone to the nations in the Soviet Bloc that had denied monetary aid from the US. Therefore, it can be seen that this organization indirectly impacted the prolonged length of the fire-less Cold War.

** WORKS CITED ** "An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie." //An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie//. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. .
 * Information: **

Countries., experts from various member. "Library of Congress / Federal Research Division / Country Studies / Area Handbook Series / Soviet Union / Appendix B ." //American Memory from the Library of Congress - Home Page//. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. .

Of, name. "Comecon (international organization) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." //Britannica Online Encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. .

Those, the Soviet Union in the immediate postwar years from. "Library of Congress / Federal Research Division / Country Studies / Area Handbook Series / Germany (East) / Appendix B ." //American Memory from the Library of Congress - Home Page//. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. .

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/263/8/9/comecon_poster_by_party9999999-d2z4u4m.png http://sirop-cdu-alliance-snm.blogspot.kr/2012/04/seven-plagues-as-in-christian-belief.html
 * Images: **