Table Of Content*
FOREIGN PUBLISHING BOUSE
LANGUAG~
WORKERS OF ALL COUNTRIES. . UNITE!
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___ F T H E M I T
P A R T Y
_F T H E I E T
N I
(Adopted by the Nineteenth Party Congress)
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FOREIGN LANGUAGE·S PUBLISHING HOUSE
Moscow 1953
Printed in
U~SR
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'fHE PARTY. PARTY :rtIEMBERS,
THEIR DUTIES AND RlGHTS
1. 'Dhe Communist Party of the Soviet Union is a
voluntary militant u11ion of like-mind ed people, Com
munists, consisting of members of ·the working class,
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working ana working intellectuals.
i~easants
Tl1e Party of the Soviet Union, having
Co~111mu11ist
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organized. an alliance of the w.orking class a.nd the'
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labouring peasantry, a hieved, as a result of the Great·
of
October Socialist Revo ~ution 1917, the overthrow of
the power .of the capitalists and landlords, the estab-;
lishment of the dictatorship of the 'proletariat, the
eliminat"ion of capitai'ism and the abol~tio~. of the e~
'by
IJloitation ··man and ensured the buildin·g
~of m~n,
of a socialist -societ\' .
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The principal objects of the Communist Party qf
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,
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the ..Soviet Union today are to builq a .corµmur1ist so.:
ciety through gradual transiti.on from so~ialism ' to
communism, c·ontinuous]y to raise the living and ~µi-)
tural standards o'f society, to educate the members o\f:
society in ihe spirit of internationalism and fraterna i ·
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ties with the wo rking· people of all countr.ies, and to
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strengthen to the utmost the active defence of the So
viet Motherland against aggressive actions on the part
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of its enemies.
2. Membership of the Communist Party of the ·So
viet Union is open to any working citizen of the Soviet
Union who do·es not explo,it tl1e labo·ur of others, ac
cepts the Party's Program and Rules, actively helps to
carry them into effect, works in one of the organizations
of the Party and fulfils all Party decisions.
Party members shall pay the esta·blished member
ship dues.
3. It is the duty of a Party member:
a) To protect the unity of the Party might and
main, as the chief requisite f@r its power .and &trength;
b) To be an active fighter for the implementation
of Party decisions. It is not enough for a Party memb·er
merely to agr·ee with · Party decisions; .it is incumbent
upon him to st1. . ive actively to have them put into effe.ct.
A passive and formal attitude on the part of Commu
nists towards Party decisions undermi.nes the
Party~s
efficiency and is therefore incompatible with contin
uance in its ranks;
c) To set an example in work, to master the tech
nique of his jo·b, constantly to imprqve his trade
or professional sl(ill, and assiduously to prqtect and
fortify socialist social property as the sacred and in
violable foundatio·n of the Soviet s:v..stem;
d) Constantly to strengthen t.he ties .. with the
ffi{l~S
e~s, promptly to respond to the µeeds and
requir~m~nts
of the w·orking people, and to~ ~xplain to t~e _non-p~Jt){
masses the policy and decisions of the Party,
alw.~~.:
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remembering that the strength and invincibility of our•
Party lies in its vital and unbreakable bond with the
people;
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e) To raise his level of political
and
understandi~g
to broaden his knowledge of the principles of Marxism-
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Leninism;
,
f) To observe Party and state discipline, whi·ch is
equally binding o·n all Party members. There cannot
twt>
be disciplines in th-e· Party one for leaders, the
other for rank-and-file · members. The Party has one
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discipline, one law for all Communists, irrespective of
their ·past services or th~ e 'positions they occupy. Viola-
tion of Party or state discipline is a serious evil, which
is detrimental to the' Party and ther·e·f.ore incompatible
with conti~n uance in its i·anks;
g) T6 develop self-criticis.m and criticism from be
low, to bring to light shortcomings in work and to
strive~ to efin1inate them, to combat every tendency to
make a pretence of all being well and to indulge in
raptures over achievemehts in work. Suppression of
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criticism is a grave V€ il. 'He who stifles criticism, who
substitutes ostentatious parade and adulation for it,
can have n,o place in the ranks of the Party;
h) To inform leading Jarty bodies, up to and in
cluding the Central Committee, of shortcomings in
work, irrespective of' person. A Party member has no
right to conceal an abnormal state o-f affairs, to close
--his -eyes to reprehensible a·ctions which injure the n
terests of the Party or the state. He who hihllets: a Pa ty
member in the performance of this duty should be
sternly punished as a violator of the will of
the Party;
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i) To be truthful and honestI with the Party and not
conceal or distort the truth. Untruthfulness or decep
tion practised by a Communist towards the Party is a
•
grave evil ·and is incompatible with continuance in the
Party's ra-nl<s;
j) To guard Party and state secrets and ·to display
political vigilance, always rememberi.ng that vigilance
on the part of Communists is e·ssential· on all sectors
and in
all circumstances. Divulgence of Party or state
se·crets is a crime against the Party and incompatible
with continuance in its ranks;
k) In any post entrusted to.him by the Party, unde
viatingly to observe ihe Party's injunction regardin·g
the proper selection of personnel on the basis of their
political and professional qualifications. Infringement
pf this injunction, selection of personnel from consid
erations of friendship, personal loyalty, home town .. ties
or kinship, is incompatible with continuance in ·the
1
ranks of the Party.
4. A Party member has the right:
a) To take part in the free and businesslike discus
sion at Party meetings or in the Party press of ques
tions Party policy;
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b) To criticize an)" Party \VO·rker at Party m·eetings;
c) To elect and be elected to bodies;
Par~ty
d) To demand to be present in person \vh€never
decisions are taken regarding his a·ctivities or conduct;
e) To address any q11estion or statement to any
Party body. up t.o and including the Central Committee
of the Communist Party oJ the Soviet Union.
5. Members ~ are admitted to the Party only individ
ually. New members are admitted from at;nong the
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candidat~ meni·be.rs wh-o have been through the spec·ified
;. prqbationary peri·Q·d. Membership pf the open
Part·y·~is
to politiieally conscious and active workers, peasants
.and .. intellectuals wh·o are de.voted lo the· cause of com-
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:munis·mJ
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.Persons ,join the ·Party on· attaining the age of
~ ma~;
.eighteen. .
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·The procedure ·of admission ofr candidate members
><
:l<?. . full Party is· as follo·ws:
m~mbership
_a) Applicants for Pa·rty meinb·ership ,must submit
feco.mmendati0ns from three members
~arty wh~o.have
··a ·Party stantllng o·f not Jess 1han three years and who
know th·e applicants from having w.orked w.ith them
.for not less than· ·one · .
y~ar.
ote
· N 1. In the case of· me·mbers of the Leninist
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Young Communist League applying for member
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ship of .the Party, the recommendation of a di.strict
committee of. the Y.C.L. is equivalent to
the~.re'Com-
·mendation of one member. -
Party~
~ ~ Note ~· Me:nbef s an:d alternate .memliers' of tfte
Central Comm1ttee.1o f the Communist Party of ·the
Soviet Union sha11 ref rain from giving reeommen-
dations. -
b) Applications for Party me·mbersliip" are discussed
and tlecidetl by the general meeting of the. primary
Party brganizatiop, decision tak€s effect after
who~se
by the district Party committee, by
endors€rrf~nt
or~
tJJe..city
Party in cities· with no distric divi-
~ommi1tee
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..s rons,..: ,
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. The .. presence of 1:h-e recdmnienders at the discus. .
not
sion 'of applications for membership "is.
~Party
essentia I.
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c) Persons up to the age of twenty inclusive may
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join the Party only thr·ough the Yottng Communist
League.
d) Former members of other parties require for ad
missio11 t·o the Party the recommendations of five
·par_tY- m;embers: three of ten years' Party standing and
two of prerevolutionary Party standing. They may be
admitted only throttgh a primary Party organizatio·n,
and the end·orsement o·f the Central Committe.e of the
Communist Party of the Soviet lJnion is essential.
6. Perso,ns recommending applicants for admission
to the Party are responsible for th € soundness of their
re.com·mendations.
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7. The Party standing of a candidate member ad
mitted to full membership
dat,e~ fro·m the day o·f the
decision of ··the general meeting of the primary Party
orga.hization to adopt him as full member.
8. A member of one Party organization who re
moves to the locallty of another Party organiza
tion shall
b~ entered on the membership rolls of the
latter.
Note.
The transfe1· of Party members from one
organization to another is effected in accordance
with regulations laid do\vn by the Central Co·mmit
tee
of the Communist .Party of the Soviet Union.
9. .A Party member or candidate member who fails
to pay membership dues ·f6 r t·hree months in succes
sion with.out ··sufficient reason. is regarded as having
automatically ceased to be ...a . member of the Party; the
-primary· Party .or.ganizatio,re shal.l pass· a decision to
~th}s.effect, whi~h shall ·be subject to eh"dorsement by the
district or city
Party committe·e.
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10. The question of the expulsion of a Communist
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from the Party is decided by the general meeting of .the
primary Party organization to which he belongs and
must be endorsed by the district or city Party commit
tee.· The decision of a district or city ..c ommittee to .ex
pel a member takes effect only endorsed by the
~wh~n
regi'onal or territorial P.arty committee, or by the Cen
tral Committee of the Communist. Party of a Uhion
Republic.
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Until such time as the decision expel him is en
dor·sed by the regional or territorial ,Party committee
or the Central Committee of the Communist Party of a
Union Republic, the Party member retains his member
ship card and is entitled to attend closed Par·ty meetings·
11. A ·primary Party ·cannot pass
a
o~ganization
decision on the expulsion of a Communist from th·e
1
Party, or on his demotio·n to the status of candidate
member, if he ·is a member of the Cientral Committee of
"'
the Communist Party of the ,Soviet Union, .. or the
~of
Central Committee of the Communist Party Uhion
of·~a
Republic, or ·of a territorial, regional, area, .city
~ot
district Party committee.
The expulsion of a member of the Central Commit-...
tee of t·he Com·m.unist Party of a Union Republic; or of
a territorial, regional, area, city· or district Party com
mittee from the given or from the Pariy, or
com~ittee
\
his demotion from fu1J membership to candidate mem-
bership, is decided at a plenary meeting of 1he commit
tee c9n·c.erned, and only if the necessity for is reco· ..
~t
- nfzed by two third·s of the votes.
12. The expulsion member of the Central Co -
of~a
mittee of the Party of the Soviet :Union
Communi~t
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fro·m the Central Co·mmiitee or from the Party, or his
demo:tion to candidate membersl1ip, is decided by the
Party Con•g ress, or, in intervals betwe·en congresses, by
the Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist
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Party of the Soviet Union, the asse·n.t of a tw·o-thirds
maj0:rity of the members of the C.C. P'lenum b·eing
i·equired. The expelled memb.er of the Central Co·mmit
tee is automatically replaced by an alternate member
of the C.C., in the order established by the Congress
when electing the C.C. alternate members.
13. Should
a Party member commit an o·ff·ence
1
punishable by court of law, he shall be expelled from
the Party and the administr.ative or j11dicial author
ities informed of the offence.
14.
When the questi·on of expelling a member from
the Party is discuss·ed, the mhximum
cauti.on and com
radely consideration must be
exercised, and the
grounds for the charges ·Pt"ef~red against him must
b.e thoroughly investigated.
In the case of minor offences, measures of Party
edu·cation and
infltfen~e should be applied (admo11ition,
reprimand, etc.), and not expulsion from the Party,
which is the supreme Party
penalty.
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Should
the necessity aris·e,
Party organizatio·ns
may, as a Party penalty, demote members to thie
statu.s
of candidate member for a period of not more than one
year. The decision of the primary Party
organiza
tion demoting a Party member to candidate member
ship requires the endorsement of the district or city
Party committee. On the expiration of his period of de
motion to candidate membership he shall be admitted
to full membership of the Party in accordance with the
Ji}
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