ABSTRACT
Political culture includes political style and the rules of the game played by the political elite, but it also includes the almost subconscious attitudes that people have about themselves, about authority, and about the society in which they live. Soviet political culture also includes the official doctrine of Marxism-Leninism, as formulated by the party, taught in the schools, and tirelessly repeated in the press, on television, and in the lecture hall. Doctrine denotes the authoritative and usually well-publicized ideas that make up the official philosophy of Marxism-Leninism. Ideology is those political values that are parts of the belief system of the individual. In practice, ideological conformity means accepting the current interpretation of the doctrine or what is called the general line of the party. The doctrine changes in accordance with Lenin's admonition that the party must be flexible and able to adapt to changing circumstances.
