Giuseppe Boffa, Italian historian and journalist, one of the most authoritative experts on the history of the USSR. He worked in the Soviet Union for many years, receiving, with special permission from the CPSU Central Committee, access to closed archives; Based on their study, Boffa wrote a book on Soviet history, but it was published only for senior officials of the USSR. The book presented to your attention shows how the Soviet Union was able to make a “civilizational breakthrough,” that is, raise it to an unprecedented level in the shortest possible time their own science and technology, create a powerful industry, and catch up with the leading countries of the world in basic indicators. At the same time, J. Boffa does not idealize the Soviet breakthrough; he writes about many of its negative aspects; The main goal of the study is to determine how justified such a policy is and whether it is applicable in other conditions to other states.