Politics of The Soviet Union - Role of The Communist Party

Role of The Communist Party

See also: Communist Party of the Soviet Union and List of leaders of the Soviet Union

According to Article 6 of the Soviet Constitution, the Party was "the leading and guiding force of Soviet society and the nucleus of its political system, of all state organisations and public organisations, is the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The CPSU exists for the people and serves the people." The Communist Party was officially a Marxist-Leninist communist party, which determined the general development of Soviet society both in domestic and foreign policy. Also, it directed the "great work" of building communism through economic planning and the struggle for the victory of communism. All Communist Party organisations had to follow the framework laid down by the 1977 Soviet Constitution. After mounting pressure against him by the reformers, Mikhail Gorbachev removed the phrase "the leading and guiding force" and replaced it with "the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and other political parties".

The Nomenklatura was the Soviet Union's ruling group, and remained one of the main reasons why the USSR existed as long as it did. Members of the Nomenklatura were elected by the CPSU to all important posts in Soviet society; this could mean a locally or nationally significant office. This, along with the CPSU's monopoly on power, led to the gradual physical and intellectual degeneration of the USSR as a state. As long as the General Secretary of the CPSU commanded the loyalty of the Politburo he would remain more-or-less unopposed, and in all probability become the leader of the country.

Read more about this topic:  Politics Of The Soviet Union

Famous quotes containing the words role of the, role of, role, communist and/or party:

    “The role of the intelligence—that part of us which affirms and denies and formulates opinions—is merely to submit.”
    —Simone Weil (1909–1943)

    “A famous theatrical actress
    Played best in the role of malefactress.
    Yet her home-life was pure
    Except, to be sure,
    A scandal or two just for practice.”
    —Anonymous.

    “Whatever we’re doing, whoever we are, it isn’t enough. . . . Little wonder we have trouble finding role models to guide us through these shoals. No one less than God Herself could be all the things we’d like to be to all the people we’d like to feel approval from.”
    —Melinda M. Marshall (20th century)

    “Busy people begrudge the days being short.
    I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion, and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.”
    —Stanley Kubrick (b. 1928)

    “If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say of this or that event, it never happened—that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death. ... “Who controls the past,” ran the Party slogan,”controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.””
    —George Orwell (1903–1950)