“Today in the world, societies which claim to be 'socialist´ or in the process of 'revolutionary transformation´ comprise approximately 'one-thirds of the earth's surface (Wohlforth 1981: 68). This major difference in material reality at the present time from that of Marx and Engels, or even Lenin's time, affords us the possibility of using the very methodology developed by them – historical and dialectical materialism to analyse this process. Relatively little was written by Marx and Engels on this subject and what was written was based on their experiences in early capitalist or even feudal society, combined with a vision of a classless yet economically viable society. The experience of revolutionary successes in the last twenty years and other attempts at non-revolutionary social transformation, has to sorne degree led to discussion on t he mechanisms of ‘the transition'. This in part has led to the developrnent of a theory of a 'non capitalist' path of developrnent or the path of ' socialist orientation'. This theory was adopted at - the Declaration of Havana at the Conference of Communist and workers Parties of Latin America and The Caribbean held in 1975.”