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8.01 structural articulation
- 9, AC7
- The CPSU is headed by four clearly identifiable
organs--the Party Congress, the Central Committee of the
CPSU, the Presidium and the Secretariat. Other organs
such as the central Auditing Commission, the Party
Control Committee, and various economic and social
bureaus within the substructure of the Secretariat and
Presidium also exist. The rules of the CPSU provide for
the election of members to these bodies and also state
their functions. Thus the Party Congress, which serves as
a platform for party policies, is composed of delegates
elected by lower party organizations. Numerically, the
22nd congress of 1961 consisted of 4,813 delegates which
was about 3 1/2 times the size of the three preceding
congresses. The Central Committee, which among other
duties mainly directs the work of the party between
congresses, is formally elected by the Party Congress and
numbered from 125-175 members and 111-155 alternates
during the period under study. Under the rules, the
Central Committee, in its turn, elects the
Presidium--known as the Politburo until 1952--and the
Secretariat. The Presidium, functioning with
approximately 11 full members and about 7 candidates,
directs the work of the Central Committee between plenary
sessions. The Secretariat, numbering from 3 to 12 members
in the post-Stalin era, administers the directives of
party organs. It is not uncommon, however, for the
literature to present arguments indicating that
membership in these organs, and particularly in the
Presidium and Secretariat tended to be coopted by the
dominant party leadership and the choice then ratified by
the Central Committee. On the basis of this evidence,
even though the party rules indicate a structurally
highly organized party, the overall code was somewhat
lowered.
- 8.02 intensiveness of organization
- 6, AC9
- At the base of the organizational structure is the
primary party organization, which may be set up at
establishments of no less than 3 party members. In
instances where a PPO numbers more than 50 members and
candidates, a breakdown into smaller departmental groups,
brigades, teams, sections as units of the PPO is
possible. In a primary party organization with over 300
members, smaller shop and departmental units may be
granted the status of primary party organizations. On the
whole, however, the smaller organizations outnumbered the
larger ones as shown by these 1961 figures--42.6 percent
of the PPO’s had up to 14 members, 24.3 percent with
15-25 members, 28.1 percent with 26-100 members, and 5.0
percent with over 100 members.
- 8.03 extensiveness of organization
- 6, AC9
- The primary party organizations are generally formed
at the places of employment--in factories, farms,
military units, educational establishments, offices, etc.
The 1961 rules also indicate that organizations may be
established on a residential principle in villages and at
apartment house administrations. As a result of party
policy, which has been to form a primary party
organization in every institution, coverage of the
various sectors seems to be thorough. There were almost
300,000 PPO’s throughout the USSR in 1961.
- 8.04 frequency of local meetings
- 6, AC9
- According to the 1961 party rules, the party meeting
is considered the highest organ of the primary party
organization and is convened at least once a month. In
organizations with a membership over 300, the party
committee convenes a meeting when necessary or on the
demand of a number of shop or departmental
organizations.
- 8.05 frequency of national meetings
- 3, AC9
- The 1952 party statutes as well as the 1961 party
rules required that the Central Committee hold plenary
sessions at least twice a year. This has indeed been the
case for the time period 1950-1962 with only two slight,
easily explainable deviations. The 1950-1952 period is
marked by only one session and is exemplary of the rarity
of Central Committee meeting under Stalin. After
Stalin’s death, the Central Committee met regularly
until 1957-1958, when a rash of 10 plenary sessions set
apart this period. The function of the Central Committee
at this time was to consolidate Khrushchev’s
position in exposing the anti-party faction and to
introduce new policies in agriculture, industrial
management, trade unions, education, etc. All meetings
since December 1958 to the end of our coding period were
held twice yearly.
- 8.06 maintaining records
- 16, AC9
- There is little doubt about the intensity of activity
associated with the publication of party propaganda in
all phases--books, journals, pamphlets, newspapers. The
newspapers were used primarily to relay ideas and appeals
rather than transmit news and events, although the news
content increased after 1956. Information on the state of
party archives is more difficult to come by directly in
the literature. But one can surmise, by the soviet
emphasis on education in theoretical and historical
aspects of party work and in the transmission of
information and policies through the hierarchy, that
archives are well maintained. Membership lists are kept
by the secretary of the primary party organization who
reports exact data of additions and transfers of members
and candidates to the Raion Party Committee. These
committees function as record offices for the party.
- 8.07 pervasiveness of organization
- 18, AC9
- Virtually all socioeconomic sectors are penetrated by
party membership. Of particular importance in channeling
party directives to large segments of the population are
trade unions, the soviets, and the youth
organization--Komsomol.
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