The coming to power of the Bolsheviks and the establishment of Soviet power led to the formation of a new ruling class, called the nomenclature. In the USSR, the prevailing point of view was that the new and first-ever socialist state should decisively break with the traditions of imperial Russia. This concerned not only the social system, lifestyle, culture, but also the management system. Government bodies appeared whose names did not always correspond to their functions. For example, the Central Executive Committee of the USSR had legislative power, while the executive body was the Council of People's Commissars, and later the Council of Ministers.
Prerequisites for the formation of the nomenclature
In all these bodies, there were positions predetermined by both their functions and the need to resolve current affairs. In the conditions of a one-party system and the absence of intra-party democracy, appointments were made by lists for which delegates to the congress formally voted. Thus, the nomenclature in the USSR is initially a list of government posts to which the party appointed seemingly suitable people. This method was first tested after the adoption of the Constitution of 1924.
In order to understand what the term "nomenclature" in the USSR meant, it must be borne in mind that already in the first days of Soviet power, during the period of war communism, large-scale nationalization of the means of production was carried out both in industry and in agriculture. Another important process is the beginning of the merging of the party with the state, inevitable due to the fact that other political forces have been eliminated. The reproduction of the nomenclature was carried out not due to career growth or effective work in the post, but through the party’s monopoly on power.
The initial stage of registration of the item
The institutional allocation of a special layer in the ruling elite, now known as nomenclature, in the USSR began with the creation in 1920 of accounting and distribution departments at the central and provincial committees of the RCP (b). Their function was the selection of personnel to fill managerial positions. Four years later, the Organizational Distribution Department is created, headed by Lazar Kaganovich. The functions of the new body were the same as those of the accounting and distribution departments, but already in the first years of its work there was a significant imbalance in the distribution of seats: from 8761 appointments in 1925-1927. purely party posts accounted for only 1222.
Appointment Ordinance
It was adopted on June 12, 1923, and starting from this, in the history of the USSR and Russia, the nomenclature receives a legally executed method of self-reproduction. The resolution and its expanded version of November 16, 1925 provided for the filling of leadership positions on the lists. The first provided for appointments coming directly from the Central Committee, the second was coordinated with the Organizational Distribution Department. After a while, the first list was expanded by the category of elected posts that were approved in specially created commissions.
Management Extension
The Soviet system of government from the very beginning of its existence showed a tendency to bureaucratization. The number and names of posts will soon begin to increase, so third lists appear. The nomenclature in the history of the USSR is not only party functionaries and senior officials, but also heads of local departments, state institutions and public organizations.
The growth of the government apparatus was so rapid that already in 1930 the Organizational Distribution Department was divided into two branches, the first of which was responsible for appointing only to party posts, and the second was responsible for filling posts in the public administration system, as well as in public organizations. Such a system operated until the adoption in 1946 of new nomenclature lists. In Stalin's time, the party’s qualities were also tested and exams were examined for the conformity of his position.
Nomenclature at the beginning of the existence of the USSR
By the beginning of Gorbachev's perestroika, the nomenclature in the USSR had become a privileged class, which concentrated considerable wealth in its hands. However, at the beginning of the existence of the state, its position was less noticeable and to a greater extent corresponded to ideas about the socialist form of government.
Not the last role in this was played by economic devastation: the party businessman simply had nothing to own. The only thing the functionary could count on in the 1920s was the increased ration. In addition, a law was passed establishing a maximum salary for an official. The logical consequence of revolutionary ideals was overstated requirements for the image and behavior of a party member. In some cases, threats of execution for negligence in office were put into practice.
Power at the turn of the 20-30s
The new economic policy made it possible to stabilize the situation in the country, and the permission for private cooperation provided for by it led to an increase in the well-being of society. The struggle for power, which began after the death of Lenin, was carried out largely by instrumental methods, which not only strengthened the role of the Secretary General of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, but also his proteges, that is, the party-state nomenclature of the USSR.
However, this stage can only be considered as a starting one. Revolutionary ideals have not yet disappeared, many were brought up on the classical works of Marx and Engels and did not particularly strive to increase personal material well-being. A decisive step towards this was taken with the collapse of NEP and the launch of the industrialization process. This allowed us to get rid of the card system, and people who found themselves at the top of the government took care of their own needs.
Privileges of nomenclature under Stalin
Lawsuits and the beginning of repression demanded the rotation of officials. To increase the interest of ordinary party members in obtaining managerial posts, guarantees of firm salaries and the possibility of acquiring the necessary goods for this money were introduced. Since the deficit problem was not finally resolved, special distributors arose. But in the Stalin era not only party functionaries, but also shock workers had access to them.
In addition, under Stalin, the nomenclature acquired new apartments in the city, received dachas, but at the same time there were a number of strict internal restrictions on the growth of its well-being. Some of them stemmed from previous revolutionary ideals that forbade not only provocative luxury, but also, in principle, the presence of things not of prime necessity. In conditions of repression, where almost every step could be regarded as sabotage, party functionaries preferred not to tempt fate.
The growth of privileges of the nomenclature of the USSR under Khrushchev
The curtailment of repression, the transition from totalitarian management methods to authoritarian ones and the course set by the XX Congress of the CPSU for democratization allowed senior officials not to worry about their post, and even more so about their lives. The provisions on the place and functions of officials defined in the 1946 decree introduced certainty into their status. The growing influence of the nomenclature in Khrushchev’s time became such that it managed to remove the Secretary General himself in 1964.
In material terms, the position of the nomenclature has improved not so significantly. An ordinary functionary of this period had the right to an apartment, a country house, a summer house, a foreign car. In addition, persons belonging to the nomenclature in the USSR could travel abroad, and before the appearance of home viewing tools, attend demonstrations of foreign films in movie theaters. Of course, the scope of these privileges varied depending on the position of the functionary in the power system: grassroots managers about spacious apartments and elite relaxation could only dream of.
The number of nomenclature under Khrushchev
The number of Soviet officials during the thaw sharply decreases. The table below shows a selection according to nomenclature lists in comparison with the indicators of 1946:
| 1946 | 1954 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 |
| 42000 (100%) | 23576 (56%) | 26210 (62%) | 12645 (30%) | 14342 (34%) |
There were several reasons for this. One of them is repression at the final stage of Stalin's rule. Another, more significant, is the adoption in July 1953 of a resolution to reduce the number of party nomenclature in the USSR to increase the responsibility of leaders in the selection of cadres. But such an explanation was formal. The true reason for such a massive reduction was the difficulty in controlling the nomenclature and the long process of its formation.
The psychological appearance of the nomenclature of the period of Brezhnev stagnation
The Soviet system reached its climax precisely during the reign of L.I. Brezhnev. But this same period was simultaneously an era of stagnation both in the economy and in the political life of the country. The formation of party-state nomenclature in the USSR occurs at the expense of immigrants from peasant and working families. This affected the mentality of the ruling elites. The origin is associated with unquestioning obedience to orders from above, inaction and the transfer of responsibility.
By education, the then functionaries came from technical or agricultural universities or military schools. The number of professional lawyers has sharply decreased, largely because they could have questioned and criticized the current management system. Common views, education, the performance of similar functions and the development of corporate ethics allow us to talk about the final formation in the USSR of nomenclature as a class. In addition, many positions in the management system become hereditary.
The composition of the item
Speaking about the size of the Soviet ruling class, it is necessary to consider that in addition to the traditional nomenclature lists, there was a developed clientele. Promotion on a career ladder depended strongly on higher ranks, therefore the official statistics does not express a real number of functionaries.
The main characteristic of belonging to the nomenclature was not the availability of material resources, but the amount of power available. The basis of this class was the ruling elite of Soviet society. This core was not homogeneous, but included three levels: members of the CPSU Central Committee, regional functionaries and district officials. Towards the end of the existence of the USSR, a fourth level began to take shape, including primary party organizations. Thus, what was called the nomenclature in the USSR was a network of party and government workers, in which everyone was connected both with their customers and with their patrons.
Decomposition of the item
Lack of initiative, strict adherence to orders and an ever-increasing amount of privileges contributed to the crisis within the nomenclature. Communist ideology was becoming less and less important; revolutionary ideals were forgotten. The highest officials were involved in a number of criminal proceedings of the Brezhnev era.
Moreover, the ruling elite was not able to give an adequate assessment of the real state of affairs in the country. From this point of view, the beginning of perestroika is especially indicative: it was from the submission of the nomenclature and with its support that transparency was declared. The functionaries, accustomed to monotonous reports, could not imagine that they had made it possible for the people to express their displeasure with their own hands.
The collapse of the USSR
Following glasnost, Gorbachev initiated a program for updating personnel. In a short period of time, about 80% of functionaries were removed from their posts. From this moment it can be said that the nomenclature has lost power in the USSR. However, formalities remained. On October 15, 1989, a resolution of the Central Committee was published, which clearly demonstrated the intention to completely dismantle the system of acquisition of power bodies. The accounting and control nomenclature has been abolished in the history of the USSR. However, the submission of candidates by lists and voting on them remained almost until the very end of the existence of the USSR. Only in August 1991, this principle was officially abolished.
The collapse of the nomenclature was predetermined. The democratization of society, the emergence of pluralism in both the economic and political spheres put an end to the cumbersome mechanism of the party-state. A gap made in the very center of the nomenclature network put an end to the rule of party functionaries.