# Politburo

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A **politburo** (/ˈpɒlɪtbjʊəroʊ/) or **political bureau** is the highest organ of the [central committee](/source/Central_committee) in [communist parties](/source/Communist_party).[1] The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in [socialist](/source/Socialism) and [Islamist](/source/Islamism) parties, such as the Political Bureau of [Hamas](/source/Hamas).[2] Politburos are part of the governing structure in most former and existing [communist states](/source/Communist_state).[3]

## Names

The term *politburo* in English comes from the [Russian](/source/Russian_language) *politbyuro* (политбюро), itself an abbreviation of *politicheskoye byuro* (политическое бюро 'political bureau'). The [Spanish](/source/Spanish_language) term *Politburó* is directly [loaned](/source/Loanword) from Russian, as is the [German](/source/German_language) *Politbüro*. [Chinese](/source/Chinese_language) uses a [calque](/source/Calque) (Chinese: 政治局; pinyin: *Zhèngzhìjú*), from which the [Vietnamese](/source/Sino-Vietnamese_vocabulary) (*Bộ Chính trị* 部政治), and [Korean](/source/Sino-Korean_vocabulary) (정치국, 政治局, *Jeongchiguk*) terms derive.

## History

The first politburo was created in [Russia](/source/Russia) by the [Bolshevik Party](/source/Communist_Party_of_the_Soviet_Union) in 1917 during the [Russian Revolution](/source/Russian_Revolution) that occurred during that year.[4][5] The first Politburo had seven members: [Vladimir Lenin](/source/Vladimir_Lenin), [Grigory Zinoviev](/source/Grigory_Zinoviev), [Lev Kamenev](/source/Lev_Kamenev), [Leon Trotsky](/source/Leon_Trotsky), [Joseph Stalin](/source/Joseph_Stalin), [Grigori Sokolnikov](/source/Grigori_Sokolnikov), and [Andrei Bubnov](/source/Andrei_Bubnov).[6]

During the 20th century, politburos were established in most Communist states. They included the politburos of [the USSR](/source/Politburo_of_the_Communist_Party_of_the_Soviet_Union), [East Germany](/source/Politburo_of_the_Socialist_Unity_Party_of_Germany), [Afghanistan](/source/Politburo_of_the_People's_Democratic_Party_of_Afghanistan), and [Czechoslovakia](/source/Czechoslovak_Socialist_Republic). Today, there are five countries that have a politburo system: [China](/source/Politburo_of_the_Chinese_Communist_Party), [North Korea](/source/Politburo_of_the_Workers'_Party_of_Korea), [Laos](/source/Politburo_of_the_Lao_People's_Revolutionary_Party), [Vietnam](/source/Politburo_of_the_Communist_Party_of_Vietnam), and [Cuba](/source/Politburo_of_the_Communist_Party_of_Cuba).[7]

### Marxist–Leninist states

In [Marxist–Leninist](/source/Marxism%E2%80%93Leninism) states, the communist party is the [vanguard of the people](/source/Vanguardism), therefore the legitimate body to lead the state. The party selects officials to serve in its politburo, which decides party policy. As a [one-party state](/source/One-party_state), party policy invariably becomes national policy.

Each [Party Congress](/source/Party_Congress) elects a [Central Committee](/source/Central_Committee) which, in turn, elects the members of the politburo, secretariat, and a [general secretary](/source/General_secretary). This process is termed [democratic centralism](/source/Democratic_centralism). In theory, the politburo is answerable to the Central Committee. In practice, all the authority lies with the politburo, and its decisions *de facto* have the force of law.[citation needed]

### Trotskyist parties

In [Trotskyist](/source/Trotskyism) parties, the Politburo is a bureau of the Central Committee tasked with making day-to-day political decisions, which must later be ratified by the Central Committee. Its members are chosen by the Central Committee, who appoints it. The post of General Secretary carries far less weight in this model.

## See also

- [Eastern Bloc politics](/source/Eastern_Bloc_politics)
- [Executive committee](/source/Executive_committee)
- [Orgburo](/source/Orgburo)
- [Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union](/source/Politburo_of_the_Communist_Party_of_the_Soviet_Union)
- [Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party](/source/Politburo_of_the_Chinese_Communist_Party)
- [Politburo of the Communist Party of Cuba](/source/Politburo_of_the_Communist_Party_of_Cuba)
- [Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam](/source/Politburo_of_the_Communist_Party_of_Vietnam)
- [Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)](/source/Politburo_of_the_Communist_Party_of_India_(Marxist))
- [Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party](/source/Politburo_of_the_Lao_People's_Revolutionary_Party)
- [Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania](/source/Politburo_of_the_Party_of_Labour_of_Albania)
- [Politburo of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan](/source/Politburo_of_the_People's_Democratic_Party_of_Afghanistan)
- [Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party](/source/Politburo_of_the_Polish_United_Workers'_Party)
- [Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea](/source/Politburo_of_the_Workers'_Party_of_Korea)
- [Political Bureau of the Central Committee of FRELIMO](/source/Political_Bureau_of_the_Central_Committee_of_FRELIMO)
- [Politburo of the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front](/source/Politburo_of_the_Zimbabwe_African_National_Union_%E2%80%93_Patriotic_Front)
- [Presidium](/source/Presidium)

## References

1. ["Politburo | Soviet Leadership & Decision-Making | Britannica"](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Politburo#ref1)

1. ["Politburo"](https://ecfr.eu/special/mapping_palestinian_politics/politburo/). 21 March 2018.

1. [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/politburo](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/politburo)

1. ["USSR: Communist Party: Politburo"](http://www.archontology.org/nations/ussr/cpsu/politburo_hist.php). Archontology.org. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200105193012/http://www.archontology.org/nations/ussr/cpsu/politburo_hist.php) 5 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2014-06-16.

1. ["Politburo (Soviet political body) – Encyclopædia Britannica"](http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/467548/Politburo). *Britannica.com*. 2013-04-24. Retrieved 2014-06-16.

1. Dmitri Volkogonov, *Lenin. A New Biography*, translated and edited by Harold Shukman (New York: The Free Press, 1994), p. 185.

1. ["A List of Current Communist Countries"](https://web.archive.org/web/20161216230655/http://geography.about.com/od/lists/tp/communistcountries.htm). Geography.about.com. 2014-05-29. Archived from [the original](http://geography.about.com/od/lists/tp/communistcountries.htm) on 16 December 2016. Retrieved 2014-06-16.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Politburo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politburo) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politburo?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.