The Impact Of The Russian Civil War On Government And Party

• The Civil War brought greater centralisation and Party control.
• The Party structure was based on annual congresses, elected by the mass membership (these met every year during Lenin's life) but actual policies and decisions were shaped by the Central Committee. 
• In 1919, another body, known as the Politburo, was created and this became the real centre for Party policy.
• It was decreed that the local soviets (the place where, in theory, the workers and peasants could show their voice in elections) should only consist of Party members.
• Lenin's 1921 ban on factions meant that any decision taken by the Central Committee of the Communist Party had to be accepted by the whole Party, on pain of expulsion.
• The Party grew in complexity, and in April 1922 a new post of General Secretary was created to coordinate its workings whichwas filled by Stalin.
• Stalin was the only Party member to have a seat on the Politburo and the Orgburo. He was also a member of the secretariat.
• The Orgburo was an organisation bureau which supervised the work of local part committees and secreteriat.
• In 1923, the introduction of the nomenklatura system added to the Party's domination.
• Official lists of 5500 key Party and government posts were drawn up, and appointments depended on the agreement of the Party Central Committee. This measure was intended to ensure that people in key positions were trustworthy.
• Although Lenin spoke of 'democratic centralism, the hold of the one-part state was therefore tightened.
• Democratic centralism was the communist idea of decmocracy. The peasants and workers elect a local soviet in which they choose who sits on higher soviet positions; they make the policies.
• The Nomenklatura was a group of individuals who were approved by the Communist Party to take up senior positions in the state, party, and other imporant organisations.