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| abbreviation = CPSU | | abbreviation = CPSU | ||
| founded = May, 1917 | | founded = May, 1917 | ||
| dissolved = 6 November, 1991 | |||
| newspaper = ''Pravda'' | | newspaper = ''Pravda'' | ||
| think_tank = Central Policy Research Office | | think_tank = Central Policy Research Office | ||
| youth_wing = Young Communist League </br> Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization | | youth_wing = Young Communist League </br> Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization | ||
| political_orientation = [[ | | political_orientation = [[Marxism-Leninism]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{Communist parties}} | {{Communist parties}} | ||
The '''Communist Party of the Soviet Union''' ('''CPSU'''),<ref name=":0" group="lower-alpha" /> was a [[communist party]] tracing back to the [[Russian Social Democratic Labor Party]] (RSDLP), which was established in its second congress in 1903.<ref>{{Citation|author= | The '''Communist Party of the Soviet Union''' ('''CPSU'''),<ref name=":0" group="lower-alpha" /> was a [[communist party]] tracing back to the [[Russian Social Democratic Labor Party]] (RSDLP), which was established in its second congress in 1903.<ref>{{Citation|author=Central Committee of the CPSU|year=1938|title=History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks)|chapter=Formation of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party. Appearance of the Bolshevik and the Menshevik groups within the party|quote=Notwithstanding the fact that the First Congress of the Russian Social-Democratic Party had been held in 1898, and that it had announced the formation of the Party, no real party was as yet created. There was no party program or party rules. The Central Committee of the Party elected at the First Congress was arrested and never replaced, for there was nobody to replace it. Worse still, the ideological confusion and lack of organizational cohesion of the Party became even more marked after the First Congress.<br><br>[...]<br><br>Iskra linked up the scattered Social-Democratic circles and groups and prepared the way for the convocation of the Second Party Congress. At the Second Congress, held in 1903, the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party was formed, a Party Program and Rules were adopted, and the central leading organs of the Party were set up.|mia=https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1939/x01/index.htm}}</ref> The party brought together the [[Vanguard party|vanguard]] of the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1922–1991)|Soviet]] peoples in the construction of [[Socialism|socialist]] society. | ||
Its predecessor, the RSDLP, had split into [[Bolsheviks|Bolshevik]] and [[Mensheviks|Menshevik]] factions in 1903. The CPSU emerged in continuity with the Bolshevik political line. | Its predecessor, the RSDLP, had split into [[Bolsheviks|Bolshevik]] and [[Mensheviks|Menshevik]] factions in 1903. The CPSU emerged in continuity with the Bolshevik political line. | ||
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2. Both parties agreed that the next course of action was to overthrow the monarchy and carry out the so-called “[[Bourgeois revolution|bourgeois-democratic revolution]].” This would make Russia a capitalist [[Bourgeois democracy|parliamentary democracy]]. However the Mensheviks argued that the class to lead the revolution was the [[bourgeoisie]], the capitalist class, as the bourgeois class served this function in the [[French Revolution]]. The Bolsheviks disagreed, they thought the [[Bourgeoisie|capitalists]] couldn’t be trusted to carry out the democratic revolution: they were weaker than the bourgeoisie in [[French Republic (1792–1804)|France]] at the time, they allied with the monarchy, and they feared the workers and peasants. In fact, Lenin argued that the Russian [[proletariat]] was much stronger and more developed than the French proletariat of the late 1700s and therefore should lead the democratic revolution, and not merely support it. | 2. Both parties agreed that the next course of action was to overthrow the monarchy and carry out the so-called “[[Bourgeois revolution|bourgeois-democratic revolution]].” This would make Russia a capitalist [[Bourgeois democracy|parliamentary democracy]]. However the Mensheviks argued that the class to lead the revolution was the [[bourgeoisie]], the capitalist class, as the bourgeois class served this function in the [[French Revolution]]. The Bolsheviks disagreed, they thought the [[Bourgeoisie|capitalists]] couldn’t be trusted to carry out the democratic revolution: they were weaker than the bourgeoisie in [[French Republic (1792–1804)|France]] at the time, they allied with the monarchy, and they feared the workers and peasants. In fact, Lenin argued that the Russian [[proletariat]] was much stronger and more developed than the French proletariat of the late 1700s and therefore should lead the democratic revolution, and not merely support it. | ||
3. Lastly, the Mensheviks didn’t think Russia was ready for socialism, in their opinion the workers could never take power in Russia until after a long time of capitalist and parliamentary development. Even though the debate about workers revolution and socialism would only come about fully later, this attitude relates to the Menshevik position that the workers shouldn’t lead the democratic revolution, but only support the capitalist class against the monarchy.</blockquote | 3. Lastly, the Mensheviks didn’t think Russia was ready for socialism, in their opinion the workers could never take power in Russia until after a long time of capitalist and parliamentary development. Even though the debate about workers revolution and socialism would only come about fully later, this attitude relates to the Menshevik position that the workers shouldn’t lead the democratic revolution, but only support the capitalist class against the monarchy.</blockquote> | ||
=== Split with Mensheviks === | === Split with Mensheviks === | ||
=== October Revolution === | === October Revolution === | ||
=== Civil War === | === Civil War === | ||
The party | The party grew from 30,000 members in 1917 to 600,000 in 1921. Lenin conducted the first purge of the party in 1921 and expelled 25% of its members including 45% in the countryside. This purge was the largest in the party's history. Party members could be expelled for the following reasons: | ||
* Being former [[Kulak|kulaks]], [[White Army|Whites]], or [[Counterrevolution|counterrevolutionaries]] | * Being former [[Kulak|kulaks]], [[White Army|Whites]], or [[Counterrevolution|counterrevolutionaries]] | ||
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=== Internal struggles === | === Internal struggles === | ||
[[Leon Trotsky|Trotsky]] | The Central Committee purged [[Leon Trotsky|Trotsky]] and his followers from the party in December 1927. In June 1928, several Trotskyists, including [[Grigory Zinoviev|Zinoviev]], [[Lev Kamenev|Kamenev]], [[Preobrazhensky]], and [[Rykov]], returned to the party after recanting their views. [[Nikolai Bukharin|Bukharin]] and the Right Opposition soon formed an alliance with the Trotskyists against [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]].<ref name=":022">{{Citation|author=Ludo Martens|year=1996|title=Another View of Stalin|chapter=The Great Purge|isbn=9782872620814|publisher=Editions EPO|pdf=https://gateway.ipfs.io/ipfs/bafykbzaceab64vxtxpqt2cdl4zsrsftmedqidn4foq74gr25qkd35z5nwogdi?filename=Ludo%20Martens%20-%20Another%20View%20of%20Stalin-Editions%20EPO%20%281996%29.pdf|page=116–117}}</ref> | ||
Between 1928 and 1931, the CPSU accepted 1.4 million new members, including many who lacked [[Theory|theoretical]] knowledge. 11% of the party was purged in 1929. Another purge began in 1933 and lasted two years. It was difficult to tell who was a party member because 250,000 party cards were lost or stolen.<ref name=":02" /> Zinoviev and Kamenev were purged a second time in the early 1930s.<ref name=":022" /> | Between 1928 and 1931, the CPSU accepted 1.4 million new members, including many who lacked [[Theory|theoretical]] knowledge. 11% of the party was purged in 1929. Another purge began in 1933 and lasted two years. It was difficult to tell who was a party member because 250,000 party cards were lost or stolen.<ref name=":02" /> Zinoviev and Kamenev were purged a second time in the early 1930s.<ref name=":022" /> | ||
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=== 1937–38 purges === | === 1937–38 purges === | ||
278,818 people were expelled from the party during the [[Soviet purges of 1937–1938|purges of 1937 and 1938]]. The number of expulsions was lower than in previous years, but a much higher proportion of those purged were active cadres. Many wrongfully purged members appealed to rejoin the party, and 54% them were readmitted. Out of 182,000 Old Bolsheviks (party members before 1921) in 1934, 125,000 remained in the party by 1939.<ref name=":022332">{{Citation|author=Ludo Martens|year=1996|title=Another View of Stalin|chapter=The Great Purge|isbn=9782872620814|publisher=Editions EPO|pdf=https://gateway.ipfs.io/ipfs/bafykbzaceab64vxtxpqt2cdl4zsrsftmedqidn4foq74gr25qkd35z5nwogdi?filename=Ludo%20Martens%20-%20Another%20View%20of%20Stalin-Editions%20EPO%20%281996%29.pdf|page=167–170}}</ref> | 278,818 people were expelled from the party during the [[Soviet purges of 1937–1938|purges of 1937 and 1938]]. The number of expulsions was lower than in previous years, but a much higher proportion of those purged were active cadres. Many wrongfully purged members appealed to rejoin the party, and 54% them were readmitted. Out of 182,000 Old Bolsheviks (party members before 1921) in 1934, 125,000 remained in the party by 1939.<ref name=":022332">{{Citation|author=Ludo Martens|year=1996|title=Another View of Stalin|chapter=The Great Purge|isbn=9782872620814|publisher=Editions EPO|pdf=https://gateway.ipfs.io/ipfs/bafykbzaceab64vxtxpqt2cdl4zsrsftmedqidn4foq74gr25qkd35z5nwogdi?filename=Ludo%20Martens%20-%20Another%20View%20of%20Stalin-Editions%20EPO%20%281996%29.pdf|page=167–170}}</ref> | ||
== Demographics == | == Demographics == | ||
In 1972, the majority of CPSU members were [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (1917–1991)|Russians]] but [[Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (1921–1991)|Georgians]] made up the highest ratio of party members per capita, followed by Russians and then [[Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (1936–1991)|Armenians]]. [[Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (1940–1991)|Moldovans]] were the most underrepresented nationality in the party.<ref>{{Citation|author=Albert Szymanski|year=1984|title=Human Rights in the Soviet Union|title-url=https://archive.org/details/HumanRightsInTheSovietUnion/page/n37/mode/1up|chapter=The Asian Nationalities in the USSR|page=59|city=London}}</ref> The percentage of women in the party rose from 7.4% in 1920 to 26.5% in 1981.<ref>{{Citation|author=Albert Szymanski|year=1984|title=Human Rights in the Soviet Union|title-url=https://archive.org/details/HumanRightsInTheSovietUnion/page/n37/mode/1up|chapter=Women in the USSR|page=118|city=London}}</ref> | |||
In 1972, the majority of CPSU members were [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (1917–1991)|Russians]] | |||
==References== | ==References== |