how many people were in the politburo

How many members are in the Politburo?

The Politburo’s membership was nominally elected by the Central Committee of the Communist Party, but in truth the Politburo was a self-perpetuating body that itself decided which new members would be admitted and which members expelled. Until mid-1990 it consisted of about 12–15 members and 5–8 candidate members.

What is the Politburo?

The old name of Politburo was revived for the body in 1966. The Politburo’s membership was nominally elected by the Central Committee of the Communist Party, but in truth the Politburo was a self-perpetuating body that itself decided which new members would be admitted and which members expelled.

What happened to the Politburo in the Soviet Union?

With the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent banning of the Communist Party in Russia (1991), the Politburo also was effectively dissolved. The first Politburo was created in Russia by the Bolshevik Party Central Committee in late October 1917 to provide continuous and flexible leadership in that year’s uprising.

What is the Politburo in China?

A politburo (/ˈpɒlɪtbjʊəroʊ/) or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. ... Officially, the Party Congress elects a Central Committee which, in turn, elects the Politburo and General Secretary in a process termed democratic centralism.

How many members are in Politburo?

Politburo of the Chinese Communist PartyPolitical Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee 中国共产党中央政治局Responsible tothe Central CommitteeSeats25Meeting placeHuairen Hall, Zhongnanhai Beijing, China7 more rows

How many people are in the Politburo Standing Committee?

Historically it has been composed of five to eleven members, and currently has seven members. Its officially mandated purpose is to conduct policy discussions and make decisions on major issues when the Politburo, a larger decision-making body, is not in session.

Who was in the Politburo?

The original members of the Politburo were Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, Kamenev, and Nikolai Krestinsky.

How many people were in the Soviet Central Committee?

Chairmen. The Presidium of the Central Executive Committee consisted of 21 members and included the Presidia of the Soviet of the Union and the Soviet of Nationalities.

How does a Politburo work?

Essentially, the party officials in the Politburo informally lead the state. Officially, the Party Congress elects a Central Committee which, in turn, elects the Politburo and General Secretary in a process termed democratic centralism. The Politburo was theoretically answerable to the Central Committee.

What does the Central Committee do?

“Political party central committee” means the designated body within a political party operating in California that directs the activities of the party throughout the state or within a particular county, such as a state central committee or a county central committee.

What replaced the Politburo?

In 1952, at the 19th Party Congress (5–14 October 1952) the Politburo was abolished and replaced by the Presidium.

When was the Politburo created?

October 10, 1917Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union / Founded

What are Bolsheviks?

Bolshevik, (Russian: “One of the Majority”) , plural Bolsheviks, or Bolsheviki, member of a wing of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers' Party, which, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized control of the government in Russia (October 1917) and became the dominant political power.

Who was Stalin's number 2?

Georgy MalenkovDied14 January 1988 (aged 86) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet UnionResting placeKuntsevo Cemetery, MoscowNationalitySovietPolitical partyCommunist Party of the Soviet Union (Stalinists) (1956-1957) (1920–1961)30 more rows

Who were Stalin's closest allies?

An unofficial "inner circle" of Stalin's closest associates included Lavrentiy Beria, Nikolai Bulganin, Kliment Voroshilov, Lazar Kaganovich, Georgy Malenkov, Mikhail Pervukhin, Maksim Saburov, and Nikita Khrushchev.

What is the head of a Communist Party called?

When a communist party is the ruling party in a Communist-led one-party state, the General Secretary is typically the country's de facto leader—though sometimes this leader also holds state-level positions (such as a presidency or premiership) in order to hold de jure leadership of the state as well.

How many members are there in the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China?

The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, officially the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is a political body that comprises the top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It is currently composed of 205 full members and 171 alternate members (see list).

What are the roles of Standing Committee of China?

The Standing Committee decides whether to ratify or abrogate treaties and important agreements reached with other countries. It institutes systems of titles and ranks for military and diplomatic personnel, and other specific titles and ranks.

Where do Chinese Politburo members live?

Zhongnanhai is considered the de jure residence of Politburo Standing Committee members and other senior leaders for electoral purposes. Though it serves as their formal residence, many senior party leaders do not actually live in Zhongnnanhai, preferring to live in homes elsewhere in the city.

Who is the current Chinese premier?

Premier of the People's Republic of ChinaPremier of the State Council of the People's Republic of ChinaFlag of the People's Republic of ChinaIncumbent Li Keqiang since 15 March 2013StylePremier (总理) (informal) His Excellency (阁下) (diplomatic)TypeHead of government16 more rows

How many members are in the Politburo?

The Politburo, with about 24 full members, was the supreme policy-making body in the country and exercised power over every aspect of public policy, both domestic and foreign.….

When did the Politburo end?

In 1952 the Politburo was abolished and was replaced by a larger Presidium of the Central Committee. More stress was laid on “collective leadership” within this body after the tyrannical excesses of Stalin (d. 1953), and the Presidium was actually strong enough to remove Nikita Khrushchev from the party’s leadership in 1964.

Why were top officials dropped from the Politburo?

Several top government officials were dropped from the Politburo; though they remained party members, they were to concentrate on their responsibilities as members of the presidential council. The chairman of the Politburo was the general secretary of the Communist Party and, traditionally, was in effect the leader of the Soviet Union.

When was the Politburo abolished?

In 1952 the Politburo was abolished and was replaced by a larger Presidium of the Central Committee. More stress was laid on “collective leadership” within this body after the tyrannical excesses of Stalin (d. 1953), and the Presidium was actually strong enough to remove Nikita Khrushchevfrom the party’s leadership in 1964. The old name of Politburo was revived for the body in 1966.

When did the Soviet Union break up?

With the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent banning of the Communist Party in Russia (1991), the Politburo also was effectively dissolved. The first Politburo was created in Russia by the Bolshevik Party Central Committee in late October 1917 to provide continuous and flexible leadership in that year’s uprising.

Who organized the coup?

As it eventually transpired, a coup was organized by…. Communist Party of the Soviet Union. …committees, two of which, the Politburo and the Secretariat, were the actual centres of ultimate power and authority in the Soviet Union. The Politburo, with about 24 full members, was the supreme policy-making body in the country ...

What happened in the Soviet Union in 1990?

Soviet Union: The attempted coup. …reduced the power of the Politburo at the 28th Party Congress in June 1990 but had had to concede the emergence of a Russian Communist Party. This was dominated by the party apparat and turned out to be a toothless tiger.

How often did the Politburo meet?

From 1917 to the mid-1920s, congresses were held annually, the Central Committee was convened at least once a month and the Politburo met once a week. With Joseph Stalin 's consolidation of power, the frequency of formal meetings declined. By the mid-1930s, the Central Committee met only once a month, and the Politburo convened at most once every third week. The Politburo was established, and worked within the framework of democratic centralism (that is a system in which higher bodies are responsible to lower bodies and where every member is subordinate to party decisions). The nature of democratic centralism had changed by 1929, and freedom of expression, which had been previously tolerated within the party, was replaced with monolithic unity. This was acheived with Stalin's defeat of rival factions such as the Left Opposition and the Right Opposition. It is generally believed that under Stalin the Politburo's powers were reduced compared to the General Secretary.

Who is the Politburo?

The Politburo, which was nominally responsible to the Central Committee and the party Congress, became responsible to the General Secretary. The General Secretary, the formal head of the Secretariat and the Orgburo, "came to exercise enormous weight in decision-making.".

How many people were put on trial in 1940?

Excerpt of protocol of Politburo meeting of 17 January 1940 noting the decision to put 457 persons on trial and to execute 346 of them with the rest (111) being sent to the Gulags. The 17th Politburo was elected at the 1st Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee, in the aftermath of the 17th Congress.

What was the political bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union?

The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (or Politburo, Russian: Политбюро, IPA: [pəlʲɪtbʲʊˈro]; abbreviated: Политбюро ЦК КПСС, Politbyuro TsK KPSS) was the highest policy-making authority within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. It was founded in October 1917, and refounded in March 1919, ...

When was the Politburo founded?

It was founded in October 1917, and refounded in March 1919, at the 8th Congress of the Bolshevik Party. It was known as the Presidium from 1952 to 1966. The existence of the Politburo ended in 1991 upon the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Which branch of government was the center of power in the CPSU?

While nominally subordinate to the Central Committee and the Party Congress, in practice the Politburo was the true center of power in the CPSU, and its decisions de facto had the force of law.

When did the inner party system become monolithic?

Others, such as Leonard Schapiro, argue that the system itself, from 1921, evolved an inner-party democratic system to a monolithic one in 1921, with the establishment of the Control Commission, the ban on factions and the ability given to the Central Committee to expel members they deemed unqualified.

How many posts does the Politburo hold?

In addition, members serving in the military and security sectors have been limited to 3 posts out of 21, in contrast to the 1980s, when most members had a military commander background.

What was the average age of the Politburo in 2017?

The average age of the 2017 Politburo’s members was 62, which was similar to those in recent decades. Before that, the Party under Deng Xiaoping deliberately encouraged turnover by imposing term limits and retirement ages.

How does the Politburo work?

The power of the Politburo resides largely in the fact that its members generally simultaneously hold positions within the People's Republic of China state positions and with the control over personnel appointments that the Politburo and Secretariat have. In addition, some Politburo members hold powerful regional positions. How the Politburo works internally is unclear, but it appears that the full Politburo meets once a month and the standing committee meets weekly. This is believed to be much more infrequent than the former Soviet Politburo had met. The agenda for the meetings appears to be controlled by the General Secretary and decisions are made by consensus rather than by majority vote.

What is the central bureau of the Chinese Communist Party?

Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. The Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, formally known as the Central Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and known as the Central Bureau before 1927, is the decision-making body of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Currently, it is a group of 25 top officials who oversee the CCP.

How many top officials are there in the CCP?

Currently, it is a group of 25 top officials who oversee the CCP. Unlike politburos (political bureaus) of other Communist parties, power within the politburo is further centralized in the Politburo Standing Committee, a smaller group of Politburo members. The Politburo is nominally elected by the Central Committee.

When was the 19th Politburo elected?

The 19th Politburo was elected at the first plenary session of the 19th Central Committee in October 2017. Hanzi.

What is the central bureau?

The Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, formally known as the Central Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and known as the Central Bureau before 1927, is the decision-making body of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Currently, it is a group of 25 top officials who oversee the CCP.

How many members does the Politburo have?

e. The Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), officially the Standing Committee of the Central Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Historically it has been composed of five to eleven members, and currently has seven members.

How is the Politburo elected?

According to the party's Constitution, the party's Central Committee elects the Politburo Standing Committee. In practice, however, this is only a formality. The method by which membership is determined has evolved over time. During the Mao Zedong era, Mao himself selected and expelled members, while during the Deng Xiaoping era consultations among party elders on the Central Advisory Commission determined membership. Since the 1990s, Politburo membership has been determined through deliberations and straw polls by incumbent and retired members of both the Politburo and the Standing Committee.

What is the Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party?

The Politburo Standing Committee is technically responsible to the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. In Chinese political usage, a "Standing Committee" (常务委员会, Chángwù Wěiyuánhuì) simply refers to a body that carries out the day-to-day affairs of its parent organ, in this case, the Politburo. The Politburo, in turn, is a policy making body ...

What happened to the Politburo during the Cultural Revolution?

In the early days of the Cultural Revolution, the Politburo Standing Committee ceased normal operations, as many of its key members, such as Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, fell out of favour with Mao. Real power was concentrated in the Cultural Revolution Group, which was nominally reporting to the Politburo Standing Committee but in fact was a separate "centre of authority" that acted mostly on its own accord. At the 9th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, radical supporters of Mao, Chen Boda, and Kang Sheng, gained seats on the Politburo Standing Committee, and it resumed a somewhat normal functioning. The last years of the Cultural Revolution were dominated by internal chaos. Between 1975 and 1976, PSC members Kang Sheng, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, and Mao all died. Deng Xiaoping was purged. During this time the body lost any semblance of a functioning policy-making or executive organ, and it met only on an ad hoc basis. By Mao's death in September 1976, the only members who still attended meetings were Hua Guofeng, Zhang Chunqiao, Wang Hongwen, and Ye Jianying, with Zhang and Wang being members of the Gang of Four. On 6 October, Hua Guofeng called a PSC meeting ostensibly to discuss Mao's legacy and memorial arrangements, inviting the active PSC members to attend. Wang and Zhang were both arrested at the meeting and accused of "counter-revolutionary crimes". Thereafter, only Ye and Hua continued their official duties. A functioning PSC was not restored until 1977.

What was the highest central body of the Communist Party?

During the early history of the Communist Party it was seen as the highest central body that was intended to carry out day-to-day work of the Party's Central Committee. It was composed of the top leadership figures of the larger Political Bureau (i.e., the " Politburo ").

When was the first standing committee formed?

The first Standing Committee was formed in July 1928, at a meeting of the 6th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. Between January 1934 and the 1st plenary session of the 8th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 1956, the Standing Committee was replaced by the Central Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party. During the early history of the Communist Party it was seen as the highest central body that was intended to carry out day-to-day work of the Party's Central Committee. It was composed of the top leadership figures of the larger Political Bureau (i.e., the " Politburo "). Unlike most other Communist parties in the world modeled after the party of Lenin, the CCP formed a Standing Committee because the Politburo (normally the highest organ in a Communist Party) was considered too large and unwieldy to make decisions effectively.

Who elects the Politburo Standing Committee?

According to the party's Constitution, the party's Central Committee elects the Politburo Standing Committee. In practice, however, this is only a formality.

How many members were in the Politburo?

The Politburo had both full members and so-called “candidates” – people who were present at all the meetings but had no right to vote on any issue. The actual size of the Politburo changed from one Communist Party Congress to another. At the end of the 1970s it consisted of fourteen full, and eight candidat e members.

Who was the leader of the Politburo?

The Politburo was set up in 1917 by Vladimir Lenin , the leader of the Bolsheviks, to coordinate the October Revolution in Russia. For more than 70 years – until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 – it was the central policymaking and governing body of both the Communist Party and the state. “The club” consisted of top party secretaries and key members of the Soviet government.

How did Gorbachev change the Politburo?

He became the mastermind of the democratic processes supposed to transform the whole Soviet Union. Gorbachev wanted to make the new Politburo a “discussion ground” that would lead to the transformation of society. He replaced its ageing secretaries with new ones. The number of members was increased to 25, which made it hard to come to a unanimous decision on many important issues. In 1990, the 28th Party Congress agreed to transfer the powers of the Politburo to the Parliament. This was the first year without the portraits of the top party men on the streets of Russian cities.

What is the Politburo?

The Politburo was the executive committee and highest body for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, as well as for several other workers’ parties in Eastern Europe, Vietnam and China. The term is a typical Soviet abbreviation of two words (a method commonly used in the “newspeak” implemented after the 1917 Revolution), which stands for “Political Bureau”.

Who were the leaders of the USSR republics in the 1970s?

The Politburo also had to think about its image as an institution that cares about the country’s citizens. That’s why Nikita Khrushchev made the leaders of key USSR republics part of the “club”. In the 1970s, top party men from Ukraine and Kazakhstan were full members. The leaders of the Russian Federation, Belarus, Georgia and Azerbaijan were candidates. The First Communist Party secretaries of the last two republics – Eduard Shevardnadze and Heydar Aliev respectively – became full members in the middle of the 1980s, when Mikhail Gorbachev was elected General Secretary. In the 1990s, they became the Presidents of Georgia and Azerbaijan respectively.

Who was the longest serving member of the Politburo?

The longest-serving member of the Politburo was Marshal Kliment Voroshilov, a hero of the Russian Civil War of 1918-1920, who at various times held the posts of Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. He was a Politburo member for 34 years. On the contrary, his fellow Marshal, Georgy Zhukov, one of the greatest commanders of World War II, managed to hold onto membership in “the club” for just 120 days in the mid-1950s.

Who was the first secretary of the Communist Party?

The top person in the country had to make sure that the people in the Politburo did not start to switch their allegiance to groups that did not totally support him. Nikita Khrushchev , the First Communist Party Secretary at that time, stripped his opponents of key positions in government in 1957 without the consent of other secretaries. But his inability to keep unity in the Politburo cost him the top post in October, 1964 when influential party leaders decided to replace him with Leonid Brezhnev.

Overview

Members

The first politburo was created in Russia by the Bolshevik Party in 1917 to provide strong and continuous leadership during the Russian Revolution occurring during the same year. The first Politburo had seven members: Lenin, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Trotsky, Stalin, Sokolnikov, and Bubnov. During the 20th century, nations that had a politburo included the USSR, East Germany, Afghanistan, Czechoslovakia and China, among others. Today, there are many countries that have a politburo …

History

Duties and responsibilities

See also

Notes

To be elected to the Politburo, a member had to serve on the Central Committee. The Central Committee formally elected the Politburo in the aftermath of a party Congress. Members of the Central Committee were given a predetermined list of candidates for the Politburo (having only one candidate for each seat); for this reason, the election of the Politburo was usually passed unanimously. The more power the CPSU General Secretary had, the stronger the chance was tha…

Bibliography

Further reading