Emphasis on competition in the Soviet society is seriously weakening communism, Dr. Karel Hulicka, assistant professor of history and government in the University of Buffalo, said today.
Because citizens will not want to give up the benefits of incentives, he foresees trouble for the Soviet regime if the time comes when a turn is made toward the full Communist ideal of the classless society, with workers being paid according to needs.
Stress on the “beat the United States in production” viewpoint and existence of “differential incomes and prestige” as incentives have made the Soviet society “one of the most competitive in the world,” Dr. Hulicka said at UB’s annual “Alumni College” in the Tower Residence Hall.
Dr. Hulicka said that attention to the competitive element is a sign the Soviet Union has discovered “the difficulty of changing human nature.”
Other lecturers in a program entitled “Frontiers of Understanding” were Dr. Oliver P. Jones, head of the Department of Anatomy, and Dr. Katherine F. Thorn, professor of drama and speech.
