Reformist elites seized party control by displacing the retreating old guard

Evidence

The Slovak reformers from the Marxist-Leninist Institute moved quickly and decisively to overhaul the party organization. In November 1989, Pavol Kanis, Peter Weiss, and others immediately formed an Action Committee (Akcˇn V´ybor, AV) consisting of twenty-four reformist members, to counter both the Czech domination and the stagnation of the Slovak Central Committee (Ustredn V´ybor, UV). As the Slovak old guard retreated, it made room for the new elites (largely because their well-connected mentor from the Marxist-Leninist Institute, Viliam Plevza, vouched for their acceptability). The interim leader of the Slovak party, Jan Sˇirok´y, deliberately stepped aside to allow Weiss to take control, arguing that Weiss was “better able to lead the party into becoming a model left party.” — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past, 504

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Young reformist heirs won legitimacy through mentorship by reliable old elites. — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past: The…, 344; Transition chaos gave new party elites vast discretionary power — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past: The…, 394; Reformist factions help transform a party then must be suppressed to consolidate elite control — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past: The…, 406 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Mid-level elites drove post-communist party transformation. #expands (0.80)