The Cominform (from Communist Information Bureau) is the common name for what was officially referred to as the "Information Bureau of the Communist and Workers' Parties".

The Cominform was a Soviet dominated organisation of Communist parties founded in September, 1947 at a conference of Communist party leaders in Szklarska Poreba, Poland. Stalin called the conference in response to divergences among the eastern European governments on whether or not to attend the Paris conference on Marshall Aid in July 1947. The initial seat of the organisation was located in Belgrade. After the expulsion of Yugoslavia from the group in June, 1948 the seat was moved to Bucharest. The expulsion of Yugoslavia from the Cominform for Titoism initiated the Informbiro period in that nation's history.

The intended purpose of the Cominform was to coordinate actions between Communist parties under Soviet direction. As a result, the Cominform acted as a tool of Soviet foreign policy.

The Cominform acted by producing propaganda (such as its newspaper, titled: For Lasting Peace, for People's Democracy!) and encouraging unity of Communist parties under Soviet direction.

The Cominform was dissolved in 1956 after Soviet rapprochement with Yugoslavia.

See also: Comintern

Member Parties

• Bulgarian Communist Party
• Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
• French Communist Party
• Hungarian Workers Party
• Communist Party of Italy
• Polish United Workers' Party
• Romanian Workers' Party
• Communist Party of the Soviet Union
• Communist Party of Yugoslavia until its expulsion in June of 1948.

References

• Bell, P.M.H. (2001) The World Since 1945. London: Arnold. pp.89.