Editing Comecon (section)

{{Short description|1949–1991 international economic union}}
{{distinguish|Comic book convention}}
{{Infobox geopolitical organization
| conventional_long_name = {{nowrap|Council for Mutual Economic Assistance}}
| native_name            = {{lang|ru|Совет Экономической Взаимопомощи}}
| common_name            = Comecon
| status                 = 
| era                    = Cold War
| image_flag             = <!-- This flag was not official: Flag of Comecon.svg -->
| image_flag2            = Flag of Comecon.svg
| image_coat             = Logo of Comecon.svg
| coa_size               = 
| coat_alt               = <!-- Alt text for coat of arms -->
| symbol_type            = Logo
| symbol_type_article    = <!-- Link target under symbol image. Default: Coat of arms of {{{common_name}}} -->
| image_map              = Comecon.svg
| image_map_caption      = Map of Comecon member states as of November 1986 <br /> '''Comecon as of November 1986''':<br />{{legend2|#C00000|Members}}{{nbsp}}{{legend2|#FF40FF|Members that left the [[Warsaw Pact]] (Albania)}}<br>{{legend2|#FF0000|Associate members}}{{nbsp}}{{legend2|#FFD700|Observers}}
| image_map_size         = 220px
| admin_center_type      = Headquarters
| admin_center           = [[Moscow]], [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|Soviet Union]]
| largest_city           = 
| org_type               = [[Economic union]]
| membership_type        = Member states
| membership             = {{Collapsible list|title=''See list''| {{flagcountry|People's Socialist Republic of Albania|name=Albania}}{{Efn|Stopped participating in Comecon activities in 1961, withdrew in 1987.}}|{{flagicon|Bulgaria|1971}} [[People's Republic of Bulgaria|Bulgaria]]|{{flagicon|Czechoslovakia|1960}} [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic|Czechoslovakia]]|{{flag|Cuba}}|{{flag|East Germany}}{{efn|Withdrew in 1990}}|{{flagicon|Hungary}} [[Hungarian People's Republic|Hungary]]|{{flagicon|Mongolia|1945}} [[Mongolian People's Republic|Mongolia]]|{{flagicon|Poland|1928}} [[Polish People's Republic|Poland]]|{{flagicon|Romania|1965}} [[Socialist Republic of Romania|Romania]]|{{flag|Soviet Union|1980}}|{{flag|Vietnam}}}}
| languages_type         = Official languages
| languages              = {{Collapsible list|titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;|title=10 languages |[[Russian language|Russian]]|[[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]|[[Czech language|Czech]]|[[German language|German]]|[[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]|[[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]|[[Polish language|Polish]]|[[Romanian language|Romanian]]|[[Cuban Spanish|Spanish]]|[[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]}}
| national_anthem        = 
| currency               = {{Collapsible list |titlestyle=font-weight:normal; background:transparent; text-align:left;|title=10 currencies|{{flagicon|Soviet Union}} [[Soviet ruble]]|{{flagicon|East Germany}} [[East German mark]]|{{flagicon|Polish People's Republic}} [[Polish złoty]]|{{flagicon|Czechoslovak Socialist Republic}} [[Czechoslovak koruna]]|{{flagicon|Socialist Republic of Romania|1965}} [[Romanian leu]]|{{flagicon|People's Republic of Bulgaria}} [[Bulgarian lev]]|{{flagicon|Hungarian People's Republic}} [[Hungarian forint]]|{{flagicon|Cuba}} [[Cuban peso]]|{{flagicon|Mongolian People's Republic}} [[Mongolian tögrög]]|{{flagicon|Vietnam}} [[Vietnamese đồng]]}}
| legislature            = 
| life_span              = 1949–1991
| event_pre              = 
| date_pre               = 
| event_start            = Organization established
| year_start             = 1949
| date_start             = 25 January
| event1                 = 
| date_event1            = 
| event2                 = 
| date_event2            = 
| event_end              = Dissolution of Comecon
| year_end               = 1991
| date_end               = 28 June
| event_post             = [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union]]
| date_post              = 25 December 1991
| stat_year1             = 1960
| stat_area1             = 23422281
| stat_year2             = 1989
| stat_area2             = 25400231
| stat_pop2              = 504 million
| s1                     = Eurasian Economic Union
| today                  = 
| footnotes              = 
}}
{{Eastern Bloc sidebar}}
The '''Council for Mutual Economic Assistance''',{{efn|{{Langx|ru|Совет Экономической Взаимопомощи (СЭВ)|Sovét Ekonomícheskoy Vzaimopómoshchi (SEV)}}, {{IPA|ru|sɐˈvʲet ɪkənɐˈmʲitɕɪskəj vzɐˌimɐˈpoməɕːɪ (ˌɛsˌɛˈvɛ)|pron}}}} often abbreviated as '''Comecon''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|k|ɒ|m|ɪ|ˈ|k|ɒ|n}} {{respell|KOM-ik-ON}}), was an economic organization from 1949 to 1991 under the leadership of the [[Soviet Union]] that comprised the countries of the [[Eastern Bloc#List of states|Eastern Bloc]] along with a number of [[socialist state]]s elsewhere in the world.<ref>Michael C. Kaser, ''Comecon: Integration problems of the planned economies'' (Oxford University Press, 1967).</ref>

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.<ref>For example, this is the usage in the [[Library of Congress]] [[Library of Congress Country Studies|Country Study]] that is heavily cited in the present article.</ref> This usage was sometimes extended as well to bilateral relations among members because in the system of [[Communism|communist]] international economic relations, multilateral accords{{snd}} typically of a general nature{{snd}} tended to be implemented through a set of more detailed, bilateral agreements.<ref name="loc-cs" />

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]].<ref name="loc-cs">{{cite web |publisher=Library of Congress Country Study |url=http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/germany_east/gx_appnb.html |title=Appendix B: The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance: Germany (East) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501075842/http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/germany_east/gx_appnb.html |archive-date=1 May 2009}}</ref>