50 years ago: Soviet Communist party promises utopia--by 1980

On July 30, 1961, the Soviet Union made public, in the party newspaper Pravda, its third party program, the first since 1919. It predicted that in the period of 1961-1970 the U.S.S.R. would surpass the U.S.A. in per capita production; the Soviet people's standard of living and technical and cultural standards would improve substantially; everyone would live in easy circumstances; all collective and state farms would become highly productive and profitable enterprises; the demand of Soviet people for well-appointed housing would mainly be satisfied; hard physical work would disappear; and the U.S.S.R. would have the world's shortest working day.

From 1971-1980 the material and technical basis of Communism would be created; there would be an abundance of material benefits for the whole population; Soviet society would come close to the stage where it could introduce the principle of distribution according to need; and there would be a gradual transition to one form of ownership--public ownership. It would be possible to provide, at public expense: free medical services; free maintenance and education of children in schools; free maintenance of disabled people; rent-free housing; free public transport; free lunches by public catering; and free water, gas, and heating.

As Maxwell Smart would say: "Missed it by that much!"