ABSTRACT
In our preceding chapter, which dealt with the pre-war system of the gold standard, we covered well-explored ground. By contrast, the subject of the present chapter is almost entirely unknown to the predominant majority of the English-speaking public. In a book dealing with monetary reform, there is, indeed, no need to apologise for including a chapter on the monetary system of Communism, for, judging by the extent of the general knowledge of Soviet Russia outside its borders, the country might be situated on some other planet. Such information as is available is either highly biased or is viewed with suspicion and thus is discounted as being biased. We are not concerned here with the controversy which surrounds Communism, and shall not enter into its general merits and demerits: we shall confine ourselves to an examination of one of its aspects, from a purely technical point of view.
