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Soviet Union [USSR] Party Membership
Membership in the CPSU for both political and nonpolitical
careers was absolutely essential for advancement above a certain
level in society. All of the key positions of power in the Soviet
Union were subject to the
nomenklatura (see Glossary), the
list of positions over which a given party committee had the right
of confirmation. Power and authority increased the higher one rose
in the party, as did monetary and nonmonetary benefits. Also, party
membership often brought an opportunity denied to most Soviet
citizens--the right to travel abroad.
Nationality
In 1989 Russians possessed an inherent social advantage in the
Soviet Union. They, and to a lesser extent other Slavs, dominated
the central government, party, economy, military, and security
hierarchies. Possessing a higher educational level and a higher
rate of party membership than most of the non-Russian
nationalities, Russians also were overrepresented in skilled labor,
white-collar, and elite positions. The Russian language was the
official language of the state and the language of interethnic
communication, which gave an advantage to Russians over nonRussians , who needed to master Russian as a second language for
socioeconomic advancement. Non-Russians also generally possessed a
lower rate of urbanization than Russians, who thus enjoyed better
access to higher-paying employment and to education institutions.
Jews, as well, were overrepresented in certain areas of the
arts, science, academe, and certain professions; but this
predominance did not stem from an inherent advantage, as with the
Russians, but rather from achievement. Unlike Russians, Jews were
subject to discriminatory quotas for admission to academe and some
professions and, according to one Western scholar, were excluded
from foreign trade organizations.
Within the non-Russian republics and smaller administrative
divisions, local ethnic hierarchies or "mafias" existed, especially
in those regions where the clan system was still pervasive, such as
the Caucasus and Central Asia. These patronage systems flourished
during the era of Leonid I. Brezhnev, but Mikhail S. Gorbachev has
attempted to weaken their economic and political power.
Intermarriage among nationalities has produced social mobility,
particularly in the case of offspring, who legally must identify
themselves by the nationality of either their mother or their
father. In this case, upward mobility has occurred if the children
have chosen the larger or more dominant nationality in the area,
especially if it were Russian.
Data as of May 1989
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