party conference (as distinct from congress)
기층 초회의
The All-Union Party Conference was a party-wide meeting convened by the Central Committee between Party Congresses, composed of representatives from local party organizations and members of central party organs. Whereas the Party Congress was the supreme body that elected the Central Committee and determined party rules, the Conference discussed urgent policy questions and adopted resolutions but did not conduct elections to the leadership. After the 18th Conference in 1941, the institution fell into abeyance for 47 years until Mikhail Gorbachev revived it in 1988, when he could no longer control a Party Congress.
Sources
- Russian Wikipedia, Конференция КПСС: describes the institutional role of All-Union conferences — convened by the Central Committee between congresses for urgent policy; 47-year gap between the 18th (1941) and 19th (1988); the 19th Congress (1952) removed the conference clause from the statute and the 23rd Congress (1966) restored it.
- Encyclopedia.com / Encyclopedia of Russian History, 'Party Congresses and Conferences' by Robert V. Daniels: conferences were 'smaller and less authoritative gatherings, usually held midway in the interval between congresses'; they 'issued policy declarations in the form of resolutions, but did not conduct elections to the top party leadership'; Gorbachev revived the format in 1988 because he 'could not rely on the circular flow of power' and had to campaign for pro-reform delegates.
- Constitution of the Communist Party of the USSR (1925, Fourteenth Party Congress): Article III, §2 — 'Once in the interval between party congresses the central committee convokes an all-Union party conference of representatives of local party organizations.'