All Important Soviet Writers have been united in the Union of Soviet Writers since its formation in 1934. Throughout its history, the Union has played a key part in the Soviet system of literary controls, and an understanding of the organization's mode of operation is thus necessary in any consideration of the forces which shape the course of Soviet literature. A study of the Writers’ Union also has a bearing outside the field of literature, casting light upon the operation of one type of Soviet “public” organization.