Comecon

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
Совет Экономической Взаимопомощи
Sovét Ekonomícheskoy Vzaimopómoshchi (BGN/PCGN Russian)
Sovet Ekonomičeskoj Vzaimopomošči (GOST Russian)
1949–1991
Logo of Comecon
Logo
Map of Comecon member states as of November 1986
Comecon as of November 1986:
  Members   Members that left the Warsaw Pact (Albania)
  Associate members   Observers
HeadquartersMoscow, Soviet Union
Official languages
TypeEconomic union
Member states
Historical eraCold War
• Organization established
5–8 January 1949
• Dissolution of Comecon
28 June 1991
26 December 1991
Area
196023,422,281 km2 (9,043,393 sq mi)
198925,400,231 km2 (9,807,084 sq mi)
Population
• 1989
504 million
Currency
Drives onright
Succeeded by
Commonwealth of Independent States
Eurasian Economic Community
European Economic Community
GUAM
OECD
Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America
ASEAN
Baltic Assembly
Visegrád Group
Craiova Group
Albania
Mongolia
Turkmenistan

The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Russian: Сове́т Экономи́ческой Взаимопо́мощи, romanized: Sovét Ekonomícheskoy Vzaimopómoshchi, Russian: СЭВ, romanized: SEV; English abbreviation COMECON, CMEA, CEMA, or CAME) was an economic organization from 1949 to 1991 under the leadership of the Soviet Union that comprised the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of socialist states elsewhere in the world.[1]

The descriptive term was often applied to all multilateral activities involving members of the organization, rather than being restricted to the direct functions of Comecon and its organs.[2] This usage was sometimes extended as well to bilateral relations among members because in the system of communist international economic relations, multilateral accords – typically of a general nature – tended to be implemented through a set of more detailed, bilateral agreements.[3]

Comecon was the Eastern Bloc's response to the formation in Western Europe of the Marshall Plan and the OEEC, which later became the OECD.[3]


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  1. ^ Michael C. Kaser, Comecon: Integration problems of the planned economies (Oxford University Press, 1967).
  2. ^ For example, this is the usage in the Library of Congress Country Study that is heavily cited in the present article.
  3. ^ a b "Appendix B: The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance: Germany (East)". Library of Congress Country Study. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009.