Yeltsin was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 17 March 1961[12] to 13 July 1990,[13] and a nomenklatura member from 1968.
In 1977, as a party official in Sverdlovsk, Yeltsin was ordered by Moscow to destroy the Ipatiev House where the last Russian tsar had been killed by Bolshevik troops. The Ipatiev House was demolished in one night, 27 July 1977.[14] Also during Yeltsin's time in Sverdlovsk, a CPSU palace was built which was named "White Tooth" by the residents.[15] During this time, Yeltsin developed connections with key people in the Soviet power structure. In January 1981 Yeltsin was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Soviet Union's highest medal, for 'the service to the Communist Party and the Soviet State and in connection with the 50th birthday'.[6] In March 1981 Yeltsin was elected as a full member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.[6]