ABSTRACT
The study of political leadership has often been recognized as one of the key means of entry into the study of the style and substance of politics in various political systems. One of the major factors that has shaped the political style of communist political systems is the existence of a political movement led by a highly centralized elite. This chapter focuses on the description of two major subgroups of the leadership strata in East European countries in the political evolution of Eastern Europe: those who compose the Central Committees, the Secretariats, and the Politburos; and those who were recruited into the Central Committees, the Secretariats, and the Politburos. It argues that interaction exists between the state of the political system and those who compose and are recruited into positions of political leadership. The chapter assesses how relevant certain postulated career channels are to each individual who either composes or is recruited into the political leadership.
