ABSTRACT
The 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which was held from February 25 to March 6, 1986, produced no surprises. The congress was a media event, staged to provide a ceremonial setting for the Gorbachev regime to publicize its program. Acceleration of the social and economic development of the country was the theme of the Gorbachev program, tirelessly repeated during the congress. The most significant political developments took place prior to the congress, which merely ratified decisions that had already been made. The elections that concluded the congress appear to have strengthened the influence of the professional party apparatus. Perhaps the most important outcome of the congress was the reinvigoration of the party secretariat. The most radical changes took place in the national secretariat, where several somewhat surprising appointments were made. Indeed Egor Ligachev acknowledged that the political stability of Soviet society depended on the party's social policy.
