Political competition in communist elites - a historiographical introduction, Raymond Taras; from Brezhnev to Gorbachev - ends and means of Soviet leadership selection, George W.Breslauer; institutions, factions, conservatism and leadership change in China - the case of Hu Yaobang, David Bachman; origins of leadership change in the socialist republic of Vietnam, Douglas Pike; leadership changes, factionalism and organizational politics in Cuba since 1960, Jorge I.Dominguez; factional activity in East European Communist parties - crisis management and leadership change, Raymond Taras; conclusion, Alfred G.Meyer.
