Communist Party of the Soviet Union: Lessons from the decline of a great party

Author: Wang Changjiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: This book does not aim to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) as the ruling party leading a socialist country throughout its entire history. It is neither a history of the CPSU nor a history of Soviet socialist construction. Its focus is on the following question: How could a major party like the CPSU, after ruling for 74 years, not only lose its ruling position but also withdraw from the historical stage itself? As a party that started with only a few thousand members in its early days and later grew to nearly 20 million, what path did the CPSU take that ultimately led it to such a fate? Where exactly did the problems of the CPSU lie? There have been numerous articles and books discussing this issue from the perspective of party building. However, to delve deeper into this research, it may be necessary to reflect on methodology. To be honest, there are many profound insights in the methodology of studying the CPSU, but there are also quite a few misconceptions. These misconceptions are reflected in some typical viewpoints.