ABSTRACT
Bilingualism based on the voluntary mastery of the language of inter-nationality communication and the national mother tongue is the fundamental, leading, and determinant type of bilingualism in the USSR. Bilingualism is a profoundly progressive phenomenon in the development of Soviet society. The type and the form of bilingualism are organically related and inseparable. The leading form of bilingualism under conditions of developed socialism is the use in everyday oral and written communication of two primary languages—the language of inter-national communication and the national language. The culminating form of bilingualism is perfect command of both languages, which requires special preparation and work in each of the two languages. The Soviet socialist system, the de facto equality of nations, and the Communist Party’s consistent implementation of the Leninist nationality policy all have created fundamentally new conditions in our country owing to which bilingualism in the USSR has been transformed into a historically new type of bilingualism.
