Final answer:
The nomenklatura system was used in the Soviet Union to control appointments to positions of power, ensuring loyalty to party leaders like Joseph Stalin.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the period when the Communist Party ruled the Soviet Union, the system for enlisting, preparing, and designating Russians for leadership positions within the bureaucracy, the army, and the economic system was referred to as the nomenklatura. The nomenklatura was a key feature of the Soviet regime that allowed leaders like Joseph Stalin to consolidate power by controlling all appointments within the party, ensuring that only those who were loyal to him could achieve positions of authority. This system was deeply entwined with the functioning of the Soviet state and was intrinsic to the party's control and centralization of power.