Institutionalization of the Revolution: Leadership Succession and Single-Party Resilience

• In Event: Autocratic Institutions

Abstract

While numerous scholars attribute the remarkable longevity of single-party regimes to robust party structures, there often exists ambiguity regarding which specific institutional elements contribute to this resilience and the mechanisms involved. Additionally, single-party regimes are frequently analyzed in a uniform manner, resulting in an inadequate comprehension of their distinct party institutions. This research offers a comparative process analysis of leadership succession dynamics within the four enduring communist regimes: Laos, Vietnam, the DPRK, and Cuba. The investigation reveals that the challenge of transferring supreme executive authority within communist regimes can often be peacefully resolved through a modern regency arrangement, which includes an informal third-party actor with a vested interest in the transition's outcome. This study provides a potential solution to a critical issue in autocratic power-sharing: the absence of a third-party arbiter, and introduces a fresh perspective on the resilience of single-party systems, including China and the Soviet Union.

Author

• Nikolai Mukhin, American University of Sharjah