Ministry of Foreign Trade (Soviet Union)

The Ministry of Foreign Trade (Russian: Министерство внешней торговли СССР, Ministerstvo vneshnei torgovli SSSR) was the central government body in the Soviet Union responsible for regulating and managing the country's international trade. Established in 1918 as the People's Commissariat for Trade and Industry (later reorganized), it played a crucial role in the Soviet Union's centrally planned economy by acting as the primary conduit for all imports and exports.

The Ministry operated through a network of state-owned foreign trade organizations (FTOs). These FTOs specialized in specific categories of goods (e.g., machinery, agricultural products, raw materials) and held a monopoly on their import and export. Soviet enterprises were generally not permitted to directly engage in foreign trade; all transactions were handled through the relevant FTO, which negotiated contracts and managed payments.

The Ministry was responsible for implementing Soviet trade policy, which was guided by the principles of state control and economic self-sufficiency. It worked closely with other government agencies, such as Gosplan (the State Planning Committee), to align trade plans with the overall economic objectives of the Soviet Union. The Ministry also played a role in negotiating trade agreements with other countries, particularly those within the Eastern Bloc.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the functions of the Ministry of Foreign Trade were gradually transferred to newly formed government agencies in Russia and other former Soviet republics.