Suchergebnisse

Oxford professor David Priestland tells the epic story of a movement that has taken root in dozens of countries across two hundred years, from its birth after the French Revolution to its ideological maturity in nineteenth-century Germany to its rise to dominance (and subsequent fall) in the twentieth century, and shows how Communism, in all its varieties, appealed to different societies for different reasons

The article examines the history of the concept of 'democracy' in Soviet politics, & of the 'democratization' campaigns which it justified. It investigates the various components of the concept, & identifies four related elements: popular participation in administration; the rule of the proletariat; popular control over the economy; democracy in the workplace. While the meaning of these elements & the balance between them changed between 1917 & 1991 the article identifies important continuities & argues that Soviet 'democracy' retained an important place within the regime's ideology. Also Soviet 'democratization' campaigns remained attractive to many Soviet politicians. In the years after the revolution they were advocated by leftist oppositionists, but then they were championed, suitably adapted, by Stalin. After his death a version of Soviet 'democratization' was pursued by proponents of political reform. Yet despite the appeal of Soviet democracy to many Soviet leaders, it undermined political & economic stability & ultimately contributed to the Soviet system's demise. [Copyright 2002 Sage Publications Ltd.]