ABSTRACT
One of the functions of the Communist party is to mobilize public opinion behind the regime and its program and to hold together the oligarchical leadership, the masses, and the various bureaucratic structures in between. The primary party organization is the link that connects the Communist party to the rest of Soviet society. The largest single bloc consists of secretaries from the territorial organization. In the language of public administration, the central apparatus is not an operating agency but a staff agency that serves the Politburo. The official description of the Secretariat's work states that it is not supposed to formulate policy, which is the function of the Politburo. The general secretary's leading colleagues come from the Politburo and Secretariat, and these bodies, in turn, are chosen from the members of the Central Committee. The Central Committee's members are the Soviet political elite. They are chosen primarily on the basis of the positions they hold.
