ions of the party statutes.

Among other things, the statute revisions provided for the election of
the Central Committee by secret ballot and transferred the
responsibility for electing the general secretary from the Central
Committee to the party congress. It was also decided that party
congresses would be convened every five years rather than every four so
that each congress could discuss and adopt a five-year economic plan for
the country. A unique feature of the congress was the division of the
delegates into five working commissions, with their sessions open to
foreign journalists.

When it came time for the congress to elect the Central Committee,
nearly half of the remaining older members were replaced by younger men
who were supporters of Ceausescu. Apostol and Stoica were conspicuously
not reelected and, immediately after the congress, Apostol was
discharged from his position as chairman of the General Union of Trade
Unions after being charged with "serious breaches of Communist
morality."

Although the modifications in the party statutes were designed to allow
for more democratic procedures in party affairs, the principle of
centralized control continued to be strongly maintained. Whereas all
party members were encouraged to voice their opinions on any given
issue, once a decision was adopted the minority was expected to yield to
the majority and aid in implementation of policies. The congress
resolved that party control and ideological guidance must reach into all
aspects of the life of the people.

POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS

The Romanian Communist Party

Originally founded in 1921, the Romanian Communist Party was declared
illegal in 1924 and forced into a clandestine existence until the
closing years of World War II. After the war, fully supported by the
Soviet Union, the party gradually consolidated power and sought to
extend its base of popular support through intensified propaganda
activity. In early 1948 the PCR merged with one wing of the Social
Democratic Party to form the Romanian Workers' Party. By the end of
1952, however, almost all of the former Social Democrats had been
expelled from the leading party bodies and replaced by active Communists
(see ch. 2).

Organization

Basic decisions concerning the organization, operation, and membership
of the PCR are contained in the party statutes, the fundamental document
of the party. Originally adopted in May 1948, the statutes have
undergo