It this paper, the author tries to show that the export orientation of the Ural metallurgy, perceived until recently as its dignity and therefore encouraged by the authorities, actually poses a threat to economic security of the region. Being the basis of the regional economy and of Sverdlovsk region in particular, metallurgical industry has suffered serious loss during the global crisis of 2008-2009, thereby causing considerable damage to the socio-economic development of the region. It is generally accepted, but considered as a temporary loss, which was compensated at the end of the crisis. The author puts some suggestions forward on reduction of the global demand for metals in the coming decade. The author tries to prove that without reorientation of the Ural metallurgy onto the domestic market, such losses are very likely also in the future after the crisis overcoming.

This paper attempts to prove that the socialist economy was extremely effective as long as it was skillfully managed. Even along with a really occurred period of less effectiveness between 1975 and 1985, it did not yield growth rates of the developed countries. Gorbachev's reforms led to a distortion of the essence of the Soviet economy. It ceased to be socialist, and there was a crisis. The provisionof all necessary goods was deteriorating day by day and, of course, it caused irritation. And because people did not realize that this deterioration is precisely due to the refusal of the socialist methods of economic management, they attributed all the troubles of shortcomings of the socialist system over capitalism. All the more, such an unfair comparison in favor of the capitalist countries constantly sounded in all media. So, the current politicians claim to have received a credit of trust for nothing but dismantling of the socialist economy. The collapse of the soviet economy occurred in the Soviet Union under the leadership of its president, who simultaneously was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

This paper represents a judgment that the relator of per capita income of the countries is a rough indicator of the ratio of labor productivity in these countries. Accordingly, the analysis of the dynamics of per capita income in the United States and Russia for the period from 1861 to present time is made. The described statistical data shows that the ratio of per capita income in the U. S. and Russia has not changed from 1861 to 1913. Consequently, the nowadays widespread claim that capitalist development in Russia led the country into the category of rapidly developing countries for 50 years after the abolition of serfdom is not true. The gap in labor productivity in Russia compared to theUnited States, Germany, Britain and other developed countries remained unchanged. The sharp decline in per capita income was based on the country's industrialization and appropriate agricultural sphere mechanization. As a result, the gap has narrowed to the mid-sixties of the XX century up to two times, despite the fact those ten years of this period fell out from the normal development in connection with the Second World War and post-war reconstruction of the national economy. After the collapse of the socialist economy, this gap increased up to five times in 2000, and now after the first decade of the XXI century it is about three times. The reasons for these changes in respect to per capita income are analyzed in this paper.

The article describes the unconventional look at the Karl Marx’s formula «to each according to his needs», which is usually interpreted as unlimited satisfaction of all the needs of all citizens in a society. According to the formula, the authors of the article suggest the requirements, not as the will of individual citizens or superfluous, but the set of benefits recognized by society and needed to ensure a decent way of life for every citizen. Meeting these needs should not be done through barter, offering an equivalent compensation cost commodity producers, but as well as providing a range of public benefits to citizens according the right of belonging to a community. It is argued, that such a distribution on needs occurs in varying degrees in all countries, both in capitalism and socialism. The share of benefits allocated on demand in different countries varies depending on their level of development and socialization of the economy. It is suggested that in order to ensure sustainable development of the country, the region needs to increase the share of benefits allocated on needs and create in the public consciousness the idea of «reasonable needs».