Communist Party of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic

Communist Party of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Name	Communist Party of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Native name	Коммунистическая партия Российской Советской Федеративной Социалистической Республики
Abbreviation	CP RSFSR
Successor	Communist Party of the Russian Federation
Foundation	19 June 1990
Dissolution	06 November 1991
Ideology	Communism, Marxism–Leninism
Position	Far-left
Headquarters	Moscow, Russian SFSR
Mother	Communist Party of the Soviet Union
International	None
Colors	Red

Communist Party of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was the official republican branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) for the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR). It was established in the final years of the Soviet Union as part of political reforms, existing as a distinct entity from 1990 until the dissolution of the USSR. The party played a pivotal role in the political struggles of the Perestroika era, notably under the leadership of Ivan Polozkov and later Gennady Zyuganov. Its dissolution following the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt paved the way for the creation of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.

History

The party was formally established on June 19, 1990, during the 28th Congress of the CPSU, a period defined by Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of Perestroika and Demokratizatsiya. Its creation was a direct response to the rising nationalist sentiments and demands for greater autonomy within the Soviet republics, particularly from the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR led by Boris Yeltsin. The founding congress was marked by intense conflict between conservative apparatchiks and reformist elements, reflecting the deep ideological fractures within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union itself. Its brief history was dominated by the escalating power struggle between the All-Union authorities and the Russian republican government, culminating in the party's support for the August Coup in 1991.

Organization and structure

The party mirrored the organizational principles of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, adhering to Democratic centralism. Its supreme body was the Congress of the Communist Party of the RSFSR, which elected a Central Committee and a Politburo to lead the organization between congresses. The First Secretary of the Communist Party of the RSFSR served as its leader. The party structure extended down through regional oblasts, city, and district committees, controlling the Nomenklatura system within the RSFSR. It maintained control over primary party organizations in key institutions like the Red Army, KGB, and state enterprises, though its authority was increasingly challenged by the rival Interregional Deputies Group and the Democratic Russia movement.

Role in the RSFSR

As the ruling party of the largest and most powerful Soviet republic, it held de facto control over the RSFSR government, the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR, and the vast economic and administrative apparatus within the republic. Its primary role was to implement the directives of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union while managing local affairs. However, during the Perestroika era, it became a bastion for conservative opposition to Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms and a counterweight to the reformist agenda of Boris Yeltsin. The party frequently clashed with the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR over issues like economic sovereignty, control of natural resources like those in Siberia, and the authority of All-Union laws versus Republican laws.

Leadership

The party was led by two First Secretaries during its existence. Ivan Polozkov, a staunch conservative and critic of Perestroika, was elected as the inaugural leader at the founding congress in 1990. His tenure was characterized by hardline opposition to Boris Yeltsin and the Democratic Russia movement. In August 1991, following the failed August Coup, Polozkov was replaced by Gennady Zyuganov, who would later become the long-time leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. Other prominent figures in its leadership included Valentin Kuptsov and Anatoly Lukyanov, the latter also being a key organizer of the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt. The leadership was predominantly composed of conservative apparatchiks from the Russian SFSR's regional party committees.

Relationship with the CPSU

The party's relationship with the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was constitutionally defined as one of subordination, as the CPSU's charter stated it was a "union of communist parties of the republics." In practice, the CP RSFSR was created as an administrative subunit, but it quickly became a focal point for conservative opposition within the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union against Mikhail Gorbachev. This created a unique and often contentious dynamic where the republican party acted as a rival power center to the All-Union Politburo, particularly on issues affecting the Russian SFSR. The tension exemplified the centrifugal forces tearing at the Soviet Union in its final years.

Dissolution and legacy

The party was officially dissolved and its activities suspended by decree of Boris Yeltsin on November 6, 1991, following the aftermath of the August Coup, a ban that was later extended to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union itself. Its property and assets within the Russian SFSR were nationalized by the Government of Russia. In February 1993, a successor organization, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), was founded at a congress in Moscow, led by former CP RSFSR secretary Gennady Zyuganov. The legacy of the CP RSFSR is thus directly inherited by the CPRF, which became a major political force in Post-Soviet Russia, influencing Russian politics through the State Duma and serving as a symbolic link to the Soviet past.

Category:Communist Party of the Soviet Union Category:Political parties established in 1990 Category:Political parties disestablished in 1991 Category:Defunct communist parties in Russia