ABSTRACT
The several most important leadership posts in the East European communist states are party leader, head of government, and head of state; that is, general secretary of the communist party Central Committee, premier, and president. The East European party leaders, and especially those who have been in power for a long time, tend to develop a personality cult as a result of their absolute pre-eminence in their own society, and this sometimes, as in Nicolae Ceausescu’s Romania, borders on the ridiculous. The party leader often considers himself threatened not only by the Politburo feudal lords, but also by the shadow of a powerful predecessor. Although the East European communist parties’ first secretaries are in a position to initiate transfers, demotions, promotions, and other maneuvers aimed at strengthening and securing their positions, the state leaders have a serious handicap. The East European press joined the campaign of hints and inferences.
