Introduction

It is tempting to approach Communism solely in terms of its repressive nature and its gross denial of human rights. Indeed, the manner in which the political experiment, represented by the ideology and practised by its Soviet masters, was imposed upon the countries of Central Europe exemplified its coercive character, and is discussed in this study. Communism was not elected to power. But once established, its agent, the Communist Party, skilfully employed strategies to maintain itself in power. An examination of those strategies is essential for an understanding of the longevity of Communism in the Soviet Union and its satellite states.