Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Political Science

Chapter

Contemporary World Politics: End of Bi-Polarity

Question:

One of the feature of Shock Therapy is incorrect. Identify it.

Options:

Collective farms were replaced by private farming

Private ownership was the dominant form of property

Eastern states now became the leaders and guided a controlled development of region

Openness to foreign investment, deregulation etc

Correct Answer:

Eastern states now became the leaders and guided a controlled development of region

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option (3) - Eastern states now became the leaders and guided a controlled development of region.

The correct version of the statement 3 is: The Western capitalist states now became the leaders and thus guided and controled the development of the region through various agencies and organisations.

Each of the former Soviet countries was required to make a total shift to a capitalist economy, which meant rooting out completely any structures evolved during the Soviet period. Above all, it meant that private ownership was to be the dominant pattern of ownership of property. Privatisation of state assets and corporate ownership patterns were to be immediately brought in. Collective farms were to be replaced by private farming and capitalism in agriculture. This transition ruled out any alternate or ‘third way’, other than state-controlled socialism or capitalism. Shock therapy also involved a drastic change in the external orientation of these economies. Development was now envisaged through more trade, and thus a sudden and complete switch to free trade was considered essential. The free trade regime and foreign direct investment (FDI) were to be the main engines of change. This also involved openness to foreign investment, financial opening up or deregulation, and currency convertibility. Finally, the transition also involved a break up of the existing trade alliances among the countries of the Soviet bloc. Each state from this bloc was now linked directly to the West and not to each other in the region. These states were thus to be gradually absorbed into the Western economic system. The Western capitalist states now became the leaders and thus guided and controled the development of the region through various agencies and organisations.