Politburo facts for kids
A politburo is a very important group of leaders in a communist party. It's like the main decision-making team. This group makes big choices about how the party and the country are run. You can find politburos in many countries that used to be, or still are, communist.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The word politburo comes from Russian. It's a short way of saying politicheskoye byuro, which means "political bureau." Think of it as a "political office" or "political committee." Other languages, like Spanish and German, borrowed this word directly. In Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean, they use similar words that mean "political bureau" as well.
The History of Politburos
The very first politburo was created in Russia in 1917. This happened during the Russian Revolution, when the Bolshevik Party came to power. The first Politburo had seven members. These included famous leaders like Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, and Joseph Stalin.
During the 1900s, many communist countries formed their own politburos. These included countries like the Soviet Union, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia.
Today, politburos still exist in five countries. These are China, North Korea, Laos, Vietnam, and Cuba.
How Politburos Work in Communist States
In countries that follow Marxist–Leninist ideas, the communist party believes it represents all the people. Because of this, the party sees itself as the right group to lead the country. The party chooses officials to be part of its politburo. This politburo then decides what the party's plans and rules will be.
Since these countries usually have only one main political party, the party's rules become the country's rules. A big meeting called the Party Congress chooses a Central Committee. This committee then picks the members of the politburo. This way of choosing leaders is called democratic centralism. In theory, the politburo is supposed to answer to the Central Committee. But in reality, the politburo often holds most of the power.
Politburos in Trotskyist Parties
In Trotskyist parties, the Politburo also works under the Central Committee. Its job is to make daily political decisions. However, these decisions usually need to be approved later by the full Central Committee. The Central Committee chooses who will be on the Politburo. In this system, the leader, called the General Secretary, has less power compared to other types of politburos. An example is the Lanka Sama Samaja Party.
See also
In Spanish: Politburó para niños
- Eastern Bloc politics
- Executive committee
- Orgburo
- Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party
- Politburo of the Communist Party of Cuba
- Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam
- Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
- Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party
- Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania
- Politburo of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan
- Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party
- Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea
- Political Bureau of the Central Committee of FRELIMO
- Politburo of the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front
- Presidium
