Introduction

Abstract

The study of Soviet history in the Stalin era is connected inseparably to the study of the system of political leadership. At the heart of this system lay the Politburo, vaunted as the communist party’s supreme decision-making body, and as such the supreme decision-making body in the country. But the precise role of the Politburo has long remained a matter buried in mystery, and the reality of the Politburo’s power has always been a matter of contention. To what extent was it a real decision-making centre, and to what extent a mere façade that concealed the reality of a system based on Joseph Stalin’s personal power? To what extent did this system of political leadership have a bearing on the decision-making process? This book sets out to explore these questions, drawing on the archival sources that have become available since the collapse of the system of communist rule in 1991.