ABSTRACT
In the context of the disciplinary campaign, Andropov and his followers did all they could to gain control of the Party apparatus. During Andropov's term in office, a certain trend towards "polycentrism of power at the expense of the partocracy" emerged when certain areas of public administration—chiefly those related to disciplining—moved notably to the fore. Apparently Chernenko, who was especially anxious about the events in Poland, had recognized the crisis-potential inherent in the expanding Soviet Party and state administration before many of his colleagues. Both Andropov and Chernenko were aware of the problem of bloating bureaucratic apparatuses, and Gorbachev is also monitoring it with apprehension. In autumn 1984, when Chemenko energetically moved to the fore for the first time during his brief period in office, Gorbachev seemed to be taking a back seat.
