The pursuit of stability by the party leadership did not entail a retreat from its commitment to grassroots communist political activity as a fundamental part of the toolkit of Soviet power. In official pronouncements and rank-and-file discussions alike, the two goals were understood to be complementary. Thus, primary party organisations retained their role as key policy conduits and, crucially, had their institutional position strengthened in the new Party Rules. Their members continued to exert considerable influence in their immediate social environment as a core element of the governance of the Soviet system.