politburo

Politburo, short for Political Bureau, is the top executive committee of a communist party and serves as the party’s main decision-making body between plenary sessions of the Central Committee. The term is used by several parties, most notably the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and the Communist Party of China (CPC). Members are typically elected by the Central Committee and may include the party’s general secretary or chairman, premiers, foreign and defense ministers, and other senior officials. In many parties a smaller Politburo Standing Committee concentrates the most significant authority.

In the Soviet Union, the Politburo originated during the revolutionary period and became the principal organ of governance within the one-party state, setting policy and overseeing the government and security services. It operated under the leadership of a chair (often the General Secretary) and met regularly to decide major political courses, with its decisions carried out through the party apparatus and the Council of Ministers. The Politburo’s influence fluctuated with the strength of its leadership and the Central Committee’s authority, particularly after late-1980s reforms until the dissolution of the CPSU in 1991.

In the People's Republic of China, the CPC Politburo is a central body elected by the Central Committee; its Standing Committee, typically fewer than a dozen members, wields the most power and is considered the ultimate decision-making body within the party. Similar structures have existed or been named Politburo in other communist parties, including those in Vietnam, Cuba, and Eastern Europe, though powers and procedures vary by country and era.

Functions commonly attributed to a Politburo include setting party policy, directing party campaigns, appointing high-level party and state officials, and overseeing the work of the Central Committee, the Secretariat, and state organs. The exact balance of power among these bodies varies by party and period.