ABSTRACT
In the post-revolutionary years the doctrine of democratic centralism as the theoretical principle which reconciled the need for authority with the desire for democracy received further elaboration and definition. In accord with the theory of democratic centralism, members of the Politburo and other high decision-making units were supposed to adhere to the decision of the majority in public statements at least, no matter what their personal convictions. Parallel to the concentration of the decision-making power in the hands of the top Party leaders, there took place a corresponding diminution in the influence of the rank and file on matters of major import. The concentration of power in the hands of the Central Committee, and actually within the Politburo, together with the elimination of opportunities for the presentation of alternative interpretations and solutions to the problems facing Russian society, was accompanied by a severe ideological struggle.
