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How did the Soviet system control local governments through higher levels of authority?
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A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) official addressing the Watonga City Council to discuss aid for flood victims, Watonga, Oklahoma, 2007.
In the Soviet system, control over local governments was maintained primarily through the dominance of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) over all state institutions. While the soviet functioned as the formal unit of local government, its autonomy was effectively nullified by the party's centralized authority.12
Key mechanisms of this control included:
- Candidate Selection: Although local soviets were nominally elected by the citizenry, the Communist Party strictly controlled the selection of candidates, ensuring that only party-approved individuals appeared on the ballot.2
- Interlocking Membership: The CPSU operated as a monolithic ruling body that dictated policy to the government. Because virtually all high-ranking government officials were also party members, the party could ensure that its directives were enforced at every level of the state apparatus.1
- Democratic Centralism: Under the policy of democratic centralism, decisions made by the top party leadership—specifically the Politburo—were binding upon all lower levels of the party and government. Over time, this practice became increasingly centralized, reducing local bodies to agencies that merely ratified decisions made by higher authorities.31