ABSTRACT
Communist movements share a universalistic ideology and a political methodology geared toward the construction of a socialist mode of production directed by a self-appointed vanguard Party. To eliminate all sources of opposition while remolding society according to their doctrinal specifications, Communists emphasize national integration and strict political centralization. In order to ensure survival each Communist movement has needed to acclimatize itself to diverse national conditions while imposing its distinct social models. The nature of that adaptation and the pace of revolutionary change has varied over time and between states. Once the essential levers of Communist political, economic, and social control are firmly in place numerous kinds of reorganization and reform may be undertaken to boost production. Restructuring in Third World Communist states has proved highly uneven, with wide variations in the form and pace of economic liberalization and political relaxation.
