What does democracy mean? Democratic political system

It seems logical to talk about in which state we could be most free. It is now believed that democracy is the ideal of a free state, where citizens have the right to independently choose their future. However, democracy was considered ideal (or at least good) political system not always. The democratic system, especially the modern one, has shortcomings that, in a certain sense, make it a source of unfreedom.

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Ancient democracy

As I already do, in Greek city policies, as in all similar small government entities, social order was often either democratic or heavily dependent on popular opinion. Nevertheless, it was widely believed that democracy was perhaps the worst type of government.

This is due to several reasons. Firstly, this was thought primarily by representatives of the intellectual elite of society, which, of course, was formed thanks to the availability of money and time for education, that is, it was also at the same time a political, military and economic elite. Second, the perennial problem with democracies in which decisions are made by majority vote is that the majority may ignore and suppress the opinions of the minority. Accordingly, the uneducated masses of the population could suppress the educated minority. Finally, the uneducated population often succumbed to the influence of demagogues who promised well-being for everyone, but did not necessarily fulfill their promises.

In addition, it is also worth noting that democracies can be clumsy in decision-making due to the fact that they require deliberation involving a large number of of people. And this discussion distracts people from other activities. This is why democracies were usually slave-holding societies, in which non-political activities were delegated to slaves.

In this regard, philosophers in their theories gave preference to aristocratic or monarchical structures, because then the rulers would be well-mannered, noble and educated and would know how to better govern society. However, the consequences of the corruption of rulers in this case will be more dangerous. Therefore, it was believed that democracy is the worst type of government, since for the reasons listed above, democratic societies are not capable of great good, but at the same time their advantage is their inability to do great evil.

And this prejudice towards democracy remained very for a long time, until, firstly, the intellectual, political, economic and military elites were completely divided, secondly, the idea of ​​​​the equality of all people arose, and, thirdly, the people began to be perceived as the source of power. Together, these three changes led to a radical transformation in the perception of democracy, making it a desirable form of government. After all, if power comes from the people, then it is logical that the people should rule the state.

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Modern democracy

However modern democracy very different from ancient democracy. Its main difference is that in Greek city-states democracy was direct: everyone who had the right to vote gathered in the square and participated in discussion and voting. Modern democracy is representative and indirect. The Greeks would rather call such a structure an aristocracy, even though the people seem to have influence on the government, and any citizen can technically become one of the rulers.

However, the fact that according to the law we can do this does not mean that we can actually do it, because our capabilities are determined not only by the law, but also by the means available to us. Election to parliament requires a lot of effort, time and money, which most people cannot afford. In addition, it usually also requires certain legal, sociological and political science knowledge, which many people also cannot afford to acquire. Finally, political career It also requires connections.

Therefore, it has now become a widespread phenomenon that the political elite of a country is made up of graduates of one university or even one faculty, because that is where the rich and influential people who, while receiving an education, also acquire useful connections. Moreover, usually these graduates are children from wealthy families, whose parents studied in the same place and also participated in political life. This is due to the fact that only members of these families can afford a good enough education to enter these faculties, and have enough money to pay for their studies there.

This is further aggravated by the fact that the economic elite also remains relatively unchanged. For example, a recent study in Florence showed that the richest families in the city in the 21st century are the same families that were the richest five hundred years ago.

That is, thanks to the merging of political and economic elites, as well as thanks to the political system itself, a closed aristocratic circle is formed, whose members participate in governing the state. People from this circle are distributed into parties, depending on political preferences, but at the same time remain friends. Ideology cannot separate them, since their own position does not depend on the policies they pursue. Voters are given a choice, which is actually illusory, since we do not choose our political elite, but choose only which part of the existing elite will have more power in the near future.

Therefore, in essence, these parties differ little from each other. Their real job is not to carry out social transformation, but to maintain the existing state of affairs. Any overly radical proposals may cause either popular anger or the wrath of lobbyists. Parties strive to formulate programs that would satisfy the largest part population.

Here again one of the original problems of democracy arises - the dictatorship of the majority. By drawing up their programs with an eye on the wishes of the majority, parties are created almost identical and emasculated, with very minor changes that appeal to one or another part of the population. So, in fact, the majority, or more precisely, majority-oriented democracy, itself impedes social transformation in modern democratic societies. Since any unusual, innovative ideas are perceived with caution by the people, politicians usually do not even dare to express them, as this could lead to defeat in the elections.

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All of the above does not mean that democracy in itself is bad. Rather, it is far from perfect. However, it can be improved. And to do this, it is necessary to overcome the problems I have noted: representative democracy, which leads to the removal of the people from governing the state and the concentration of power in the hands of a narrow stratum of society, and the dictatorship of the majority, which, on the one hand, prevents significant social changes, and on the other, suppresses the will of minorities. For this, a democratic system needs such mechanisms for involving people in political activity, which would allow them to participate in it regardless of origin, education, social status and past merits or sins and to reach any level in the hierarchy of power.

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Modern democracy

Modern Western political scientists do not consider democracy as the power of the people, who determine the essence of the carried out public policy. Democracy, in their opinion, is a system of government that takes into account the will of the people, which is expressed at the time of election of the ruling elite.

Domestic political science solves this issue differently. According to her basic principles democracies are:

• popular sovereignty, t.s. the primary bearer of power is the people; all power comes from the people and is delegated to them;
• free elections of representatives to government bodies for a limited period;
• political pluralism;
• guaranteed access for all to political institutions;
• control of representative institutions over the work of government;
• elimination of political privileges for certain social groups and categories of citizens, institutions and governing bodies.

Principles of democracy:

• the principle of popular sovereignty, according to which the only source of higher political power in democracy the people speak
• free elections representatives of government at all levels, including the right to remove from power those of them who have not lived up to the trust of voters
• citizen participation in managing the affairs of the state using the mechanisms of both direct (immediate) democracy and representative (mediated) democracy
• constitutionalism, which ensures the rational and legal nature of the organization and functioning of the state and the equality of everyone before the law
• presence of opposition, which guarantees the right to legal political activity and the right to replace the old ruling majority in power based on the results of new elections
• principle of separation of powers, in accordance with which one power restrains the other, excluding the possibility of usurping the full power of one of them.

Depending on how the people participate in governance, who directly performs power functions and how, democracy is divided into:

• straight;
• representative.

Direct democracy

Direct democracy - This is the direct participation of citizens in preparation, discussion and decision-making. This form of participation dominated in ancient democracies. Now it is possible in small populated areas, communities, enterprises, etc. when solving issues that do not require high qualifications.

Plebiscite democracy is a type of direct democracy, which also implies the direct expression of the will of the people. However, here the influence of citizens on the processes of government is limited. They can only vote to approve or reject a draft law or other decision prepared by the government, party or initiative group. This form of democracy allows for the possibility of manipulating the will of citizens through ambiguous wording of issues put to vote.

Representative democracy

Representative democracy- leading form political participation citizens in modern . Its essence is the indirect participation of subjects in decision making. Citizens elect their representatives to government bodies, who are called upon to express their interests, make laws and give orders on their behalf. This form of democracy is necessary in the context of huge social systems and the complexity of decisions made.

For democratic life In a society, it is important not only who rules, but also how they rule, how the system of government is organized. These issues are determined by the country's constitution, which is perceived by many people as a symbol of democracy.

Instructions

Democracy can be direct or indirect. In the first case, the government of the state is carried out directly by its citizens. In the second, the country is governed by deputies to whom the population delegates these powers. In this case, management occurs on behalf of the people.

Democracy has its defining characteristics. Basic characteristic feature democratic system is human freedom, which is elevated to the rank of law. That is, the action of anyone normative act and a document adopted by the authorities state power, should not limit this freedom or infringe on it.

Democracy implies that power should not be concentrated in one hand. Therefore the power has different levels– regional and local. They are the ones who directly interact with the population and are called upon to take into account their wishes and aspirations in their activities and be guided by them. Any citizen living in this territory has the right to directly interact with government officials.

The fullness of interaction between citizens and authorities is not limited by religious or ideological views, or nationality. A democratic society and state assumes that all its members and citizens have equal rights. In such a country and society, everyone is given freedom of speech and the opportunity to create and participate in any religious, social or political organizations.

The people have the right to express their opinions through referendums and freely choose government bodies and the head of state. This is not only a right, but also a civic duty. Participation of a population that is a conglomeration of people with different religious views and different mentalities, in elections allows all groups of the population to realize their opportunity to govern the country. This allows the views and needs of all citizens to be taken into account.

Democracy is that version of the government system in which it is possible to achieve consensus between all layers and public associations representing the state.

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Totalitarian democracy is also called imitative democracy, since in this political regime the power of the people is only declared, but in reality ordinary citizens do not take part in governing the state or participate minimally.

Totalitarianism and its signs

Totalitarian democracy is one of the forms of totalitarianism, but at the same time, outwardly it retains the signs democratic system: turnover of the head of state, election of government bodies, universal suffrage etc.

Totalitarianism is a system of government that presupposes the establishment of total control over all aspects of the life of society in general and each person in particular. At the same time, the state forcibly regulates the lives of all members of society, completely depriving them of the right to independence not only in actions, but also in thoughts.

The main signs of totalitarianism: the existence of a single state ideology, which must be supported by all residents of the country; strict censorship; state control over the media; relations in the country are based on the following position: “only what is recognized by the authorities is allowed, everything else is prohibited”; police control is carried out over the entire society in order to identify dissidents; bureaucracy in all spheres of life.

Under totalitarianism, the border between state and society is actually erased, since everything is controlled and strictly regulated. The area of ​​a person's personal life is very limited.

Totalitarian democracy in history

The reasons for the formation of totalitarian democracy are still debatable. Similar systems are formed, as a rule, after the abrupt establishment of democracy in countries with authoritarian or totalitarian regime: political coup, revolution, etc. Usually in these cases the population is not yet sufficiently politically literate, which is often abused by people who come to power. Despite the fact that government bodies are elected by popular vote, the results of these elections are always predictable in advance. Moreover, such stability is largely ensured not through direct manipulation. Administrative resource, media control, public organizations, economics and investment - these are the tools used by the ruling elite in a system such as a totalitarian democracy.

A striking example of such a political system in history is government structure THE USSR. Despite the proclamation of the constitution and the declaration of universal equality, in fact the country was led by the highest officials communist party. The political system in the Soviet Union is analyzed in detail in the book of the famous French humanist philosopher Raymond Aron, “Democracy and Totalitarianism.”

At the latest count, as of 2017, there are 251 countries in the world. They all differ from each other in size, in population and their nationality, in the form of government and in the degree of development. But one of the most important characteristics of the state, on which the entire way of life of the population depends, is the political regime. It is he who determines the methods and forms of management that will dominate the country.

In contact with

There are only three main political regimes:

• A totalitarian regime, also called totalitarianism, is that the state controls all spheres of life. The authorities rely on force, any opposition is prohibited, and the leader is exalted.
• An authoritarian regime is characterized by a slightly “softer” rule of power. At the helm is a group of people or one person who has unlimited power, but at the same time certain civil and economic freedoms of citizens are already allowed. Authoritarianism is a softer form of a totalitarian regime.

The most common political regime around the world, which is followed by many states, is democracy . In this regime, first place is placed freedom and rights of citizens. To put it in a nutshell, main principle democracy lies in the fact that society is granted a huge amount of freedoms and rights, including the right to fully participate in the life of the state.

Signs of democracy

Each political regime has characteristics distinctive features, which are their essence. Democratic form boards are no exception. It has several features that set it apart from other methods of governance and which define what democracy is.

• The word itself means the power of the people. It is the people who are with her the main and only source of power.
• The people elect government representatives - deputies. Society does this in only one way - fair, open, free elections.
• Power is not elected once and for all: a distinctive feature of democracy is that deputies are elected for a certain and not very long term, after which elections will take place again.
• Equality of rights for any person is another feature of this regime. Every person has rights, which it can defend with the help of independent mechanisms - courts.
• The entire state structure, the entire state apparatus is not concentrated in a narrow group of people - it is divided into branches of power: legislative, judicial and executive.
• If under totalitarianism the opposition was suppressed and destroyed in every possible way, then democracy in this matter is radically different - the opposition leads free activity , expresses their dissatisfaction, organizes processions, political demonstrations, rallies and other forms of expression of protest and disagreement.
• Media independent from the state, which freely report on what is happening in the country, are the basis of a democratic system.

The whole essence of democracy lies in the power of the people - votes, referendums, demonstrations at which society expresses its demands, preferences, disagreement, and so on.

Important! Democracy does not guarantee rights and freedoms to absolutely all citizens. For example, a person who has violated any law will have to be punished in the form of restrictions on these same rights and freedoms.

Forms of democracy

There are two forms of this political regime: direct and representative democracy. What is the difference? Let's figure it out.

Main distinctive features are hidden in their name. The direct form of democracy is characterized by the fact that government, that is, power, is exercised directly by the people through votes and referendums.

For a better understanding, let’s give an example: it was proposed to adopt a certain law in the state. In order to decide whether this law will be adopted, a referendum is organized in which everyone votes for or against the adoption of a new bill. Most of them are solved in this or similar ways. important issues in direct democracy.

Representative democracy is fundamentally different. The previous example with a new bill is also suitable: the decision to accept or reject the new bill will be made by deputies who were elected by the people through free and fair elections.

The main difference seems to be clear, but each of the forms has its own pros and cons: under the dominance of the first form, people make decisions themselves, but not all of them are well acquainted with jurisprudence, with laws, with all the subtleties and nuances of such cases. In the second form the power of the people is limited, because he chooses those who will make decisions, and does not make them himself. In this case, there may be a lot of dissatisfied people.

Functions of democracy

Any method of government performs certain functions for the normal existence of the country and its prosperity. Democracy pursues several objectives:

• The first and most important is considered to be the protective function. Society in a modern developed state is given guarantees of security, compliance with laws, protection of the dignity, honor, rights and freedoms of any citizen.
• Organization and formation of the state as an apparatus, as a system of organs central government and local governments through honest and free elections performs a constituent function.
• The organizational-political function guarantees that the people are the only and permanent source of power.
• The regulatory function ensures the correct operation of all necessary entities to ensure the rights and freedoms of citizens.

Only when all the described functions are performed can it be said that a democratic regime prevails in the state.

Pros and cons of democracy

Each mode reflects both positive and negative sides, because there are no ideal options. With all the progress that democracy brings, it has disadvantages that in one way or another affect the life of society.

pros	Minuses
This form of organization provides good control over officials and over democratic institutions.	A very large number of citizens adhere to a neutral and indifferent position, that is, they have no desire to participate in the political life of the state.
Democracy prevents and in every possible way suppresses the abuse of their powers by officials and any officials.	How many people - so many opinions. This rule in large states sometimes makes it very difficult to make the right and only decision.
At this device The voice of each person will not only be heard, it will be taken into account in making any decisions.	True power will most likely not belong to the people, since all decisions are made by elected representatives.
In the vast majority of countries where true democracy prevails, there is stable prosperity in all spheres of society, from culture and development to military strength.	Bureaucracy flourishes most often in democratic countries.

Despite all the rather significant disadvantages that appear in democracy, the advantages have a much greater impact on the life of society in a positive direction.

Important! It should be remembered that when asked who democrats are, one should not answer that they are residents of countries with such a regime. Democrats are supporters of a political direction who defend the principles of democracy.

Modern democracies

To clearly examine the impact of democracy on the life of society, let’s take the democratic countries that have achieved the greatest success.

• Switzerland is one of the most economically developed countries. Its inhabitants are rich, the improvement is the highest level, and the whole world looks up to medicine, education and other necessary structures in Switzerland. Democracy is that political system, which was established here a very long time ago.

• The second largest country in the world by area is Canada, is also one of the most economically developed countries in the world. GDP per capita is extremely high, that is, the standard of living of the population is very well developed. Here the institutions of democracy work for the benefit of society. In addition, Canada has an unusually low crime rate, as well as excellent...

• New Zealand is located in the southwestern part Pacific Ocean and is another democratic country. A very developed economy, a low crime rate - New Zealand, where democracy reigns, can boast of all this.

• Greece is not just another state with a democratic regime, but with the state where democracy originated. Exactly at Ancient Greece for the first time, citizens were allowed to elect "high officials." This country belongs to developed countries with a rapidly growing GDP.

What is democracy, its types, pros and cons

Democracy, examples of countries

Conclusion

Democracy is flourishing in many countries of the world, and in most of them there is a significant improvement in life, increasing GDP, developing education, medicine and other areas of society. Democratic regime is the most progressive of all existing ones, because what is more valuable to a person than life and its safety, freedom of choice and guarantee of rights.

Democracy is generally impossible to define - everything is so confusing here. The very belief in the good of a democratic system cannot be considered a delusion. The last is blind faith in democracy as the only possible form of social order; are not taken into account different meanings this word, and there are at least six of them: democracy as a social structure, certain type of this structure, a free structure, a legal system, social democracy and, finally, the dictatorship of the party.

1. So, democracy, first and foremost, is a social system in which the people rule, choosing their own rulers, or power. If so, the expression “ people's democracy”, after all, this is the same as “people's democracy”, i.e. “butter oil”. "Democracy" comes from the Greek demos - people and kratein - to rule.

2. Democracy often means not democracy in general, but a certain type, form of democratic structure. There are many forms of democracy. One of them is direct democracy, which previously existed in some Swiss cantons, when the whole people gathered at the so-called Landesgemeinde (general land meetings) and decided on the most important state problems; To some extent, direct democracy also exists in Swiss Confederation. Another form of democracy is parliamentary democracy, where the people elect their representatives (parliamentarians). She can also take various shapes: For example, there is presidential democracy (the people elect a president to whom ministers are accountable) and party democracy (ministers are accountable to the Sejm). Sometimes it is argued that one form of democracy is the only “true” one. This is obvious superstition.

3. A free system should be distinguished from democracy as a system social order, that is, one in which, for example, freedom of the press, assembly, etc. flourishes. In a democratic system, such freedoms are limited (for example, during a war), and vice versa, in a non-democratic system, people sometimes enjoy many freedoms.

4. Sometimes by democracy they mean legality, although legality is something else. Legal is the social order in which the law is respected. In many states with a democratic system, the law is not respected, and vice versa, there are states that are not democratic, but legal. The picture of the latter type of state is drawn by a well-known anecdote from the time of Frederick the Great, in whose state there was no trace of democracy. Royal officials took away his mill from the miller. Melnik said that he would go to Berlin, because, he said, “there are still judges in Berlin.” This means that this miller believed in the legal character of his undemocratic state.

5. One should also not confuse a democratic system, relatively free and legal, with the so-called “social democracy”. The latter is a society in which there are no psychological barriers between different social strata. The fact that social democracy and a democratic system are different things is evidenced by the existence of countries with a democratic system, in which, however, such barriers are too large, and, conversely, there are countries with a non-democratic system, in which people belonging to different social strata cannot are not separated from each other. Such social democracy often exists even in countries ruled by a tyrant who seeks to turn all his citizens into slaves.

6. Finally, democracy is the name given to the dictatorship of a party; for example, Marxists-Leninists are accustomed to this; Tyrants in backward countries, where there is often only one party, also use similar terminology. To call such a system democracy is a gross misconception, because there is no democracy here in any of the above meanings: both in the sense of a democratic system, and freedom, etc.

Along with the confusion about democracy and claims about the existence of a single “true” democracy, there is another very common misconception. Some people are convinced that democracy, or one of the forms of democratic order, has proven itself in a given country or in this region, should be introduced throughout the world - in China, Ethiopia, and Brazil. However, out of 160 states that exist in the world, only 21 states have a democratic system. This superstition is one of the worst and most shameful signs of inertia.

D. as a form of state-political. device arose along with the emergence of the state, which replaced the primitive communal clan and tribal self-government. Unlike other forms of state device, under D. the power of the majority, the equality of citizens, the rule of law are officially recognized, and elections are carried out. state bodies, etc. They distinguish directly. and will introduce. D. In the first case, basic. decisions are made directly by voters (for example, at public meetings, through referendums), in the second

elected institutions (eg parliaments). But in the conditions of an exploitative society, democratic.

forms and institutions inevitably remain limited and formal, and through democracy, as a form of state, the dominance of the class is exercised, in whose hands are the means of production and politics. power. The most developed historical type of D. in an exploitative society is the bourgeois. D. is a form of dictatorship of the bourgeoisie.

Truly scientific. D.'s understanding was first developed by the classics of Marxism-Leninism. Analyzing the essence of bourgeois. D., Marxism-Leninism first of all reveals its class content, emphasizing that no matter what development the democratic. institutions and citizens rights as long as it exists private property on the means of production and the exploitation of labor, while political. power is in the hands of the bourgeoisie, D. is inevitably limited and hypocritical. It is limited because it does not apply to the most important thing - the conditions of people’s material life, where blatant inequality and exploitation of some social classes and groups by others continue to exist; hypocritical because it preserves all the contradictions between the proclaimed slogans and reality.

Having revealed the essence of the bourgeoisie. D. as a form of class rule of capitalists, Marxism-Leninism highlights ch. a feature that distinguishes it from other forms of exploitative states: in bourgeois-democratic. In a republic, the power of capital is exercised not directly, but indirectly. The presence of universal suffrage. law, parliament and the government responsible to it, the jury, the system of local self-government, the officially proclaimed inviolability of the person and home, freedom of the press and assembly - all this creates the appearance of “autocracy of the people.” In fact, for democracy. the shell hides the power of big capital.

But limited class character bourgeois D. does not mean that its institutions cannot be used by the working class. Democratic principles, rights, institutions - the result of the people's struggle. wt. No matter how limited and formal they may be under capitalism, the working class uses them to protect their economies. and political interests, for self-organization and education of the working masses. Although under democratic In a republic, the state remains a machine for the oppression of one class by another, an instrument of the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, this does not mean. that the form of oppression is indifferent to the working class. The more rights and freedoms the proletariat wins, the more better conditions for his organization into a revolutionary. party, to promote scientific ideas. communism and inclusion of the wider people. of the masses in the struggle against the power of capital, the greater the opportunity to use democracy. capitalist institutions state, have their own press, seek the election of their representatives to local governments, send deputies to parliament. Therefore, the working class is fighting for the preservation and development of democracy. In modern conditions. revolutionary era of the transition from capitalism to socialism, the struggle for democracy becomes an integral part of the struggle for socialism.

Burzh. D. is a huge progress compared to state politics. organization of the Middle Ages. society. But it was and remains a form of class rule of the bourgeoisie, which was not fully understood by K. Kautsky and other leaders of the 2nd International, who defended the idea of ​​the so-called. pure democracy and believed that on the basis of such, regardless of its class content, the proletariat is able to solve the revolutions facing it. tasks. But history has refuted these concepts. If the use by workers is democratic. rights and institutions really threaten to affect the fundamentals. economical interests and politics the power of the bourgeoisie, the last from

It seems that she has created the legality, grossly tramples D. and resorts to direct violence.

With the emergence of the Sov. state a new historical has appeared. type of democracy - socialist democracy. Socialism for the first time returns the concept of democracy to its true meaning, fills democracy and principles with real content. But this happens but as a result of only one revolution. transfer of power to the working class and its allies. Formation and development of socialism. D. is long enough. process. Basic socialist principles democracy were formulated by K. Marx and F. Engels and included in the theory of science. communism as part of the doctrine of socialism. state-ve. V.I. Lenin not only comprehensively developed this teaching, but also directly supervised the construction of socialism. D. The principles of D. of a new type have become a reality in many. countries. Socialist D. has become an established phenomenon. Socialist development D. found a detailed embodiment in the Constitution of the USSR.

For socialist D. characteristic traces. peculiarities. Being qualitatively new in its class content, political. phenomenon, it inherits all the best from democracies. gains of the working people, adapts them to new conditions, significantly renews and enriches them.

Along with creative Using the heritage of the past, socialism creates completely new, previously unknown principles and forms of democracy. The possibilities for this are inherent in the very nature of socialism. building. Thus, the dominance of societies. ownership of the means of production means that the object is democratic. management and control become economics and culture, which in modern conditions. state-monopolistic capitalism is only partially regulated by the bourgeoisie. state

The fundamental feature of socialism. D. also lies in the fact that it is constantly developing and improving. With the construction of a developed socialist society and as we move further towards communism, new means and methods are born for the participation of workers in the affairs of society. Steady growth of societies. wealth expands the social rights of workers, and the development of culture, ideas and morals. consciousness of the people creates the preconditions for more and more widespread use political free

Democracy in politics The system of socialism is ensured by a combination of methods. and directly D. In the USSR the principle of people. representation is embodied in the People's Councils. deputies, who make up from bottom to top unified system authorities, business manager state Direct methods D. are used under socialism on a scale that was unthinkable in the past. This is a national thing. discussion of draft major laws, activities of party, trade union, Komsomol and other societies. org-tions, system of people. control, farms. cooperatives, creative unions, various associations (by profession, by interest, by place of residence, by departmental affiliation, etc.), through which citizens widely participate in decisions about politics, production. and everyday issues.

The guiding force of these organizations is socialist. society is communist. the consignment. Management of society by communists. the party is provided by Ch. condition for true democracy of the state. power - the compliance of its policies with the interests of the entire people. In conditions of developed socialist society in the USSR developed socio-politically. and the ideological unity of the entire people. Identity of fundamental interests of owls. people does not, however, deny specific diversity. interests of various social, national, age, professional. and other groups of the population. Acting as a spokesman common interests total owls people, the party at the same time takes into account and agrees on specifics. interests of various groups of the population, ensures their satisfaction in line with a unified policy. Leadership from the party guarantees, etc. in principle important condition democracy of the state power - compliance of its policies with the interests of the progressive development of society. Building its activities on the basis of Marxist-Leninist theory, the CPSU achieves not only max. satisfaction of the material and spiritual needs of workers, but also constant movement towards the goals specified by scientific. communism.

One of the fundamental principles of D. is equality. Under capitalism, the implementation of this principle was limited only to the formal equality of citizens before the law. Transfer of production funds to companies. property caused a radical revolution in the entire system of societies. relationships. The conditions for the exploitation of man by man were eliminated and thereby the only reliable and real foundation for equality was created. Political equality of citizens socialist. society is clearly manifested in the fact that all citizens can participate in the affairs of the state, regardless of race or nationality. belonging, gender, religion, education, residence, social origin, property. position and past activities. Enormous progress has been made in overcoming various types social inequality, affirmation of equality of nations, equality of men and women.

Socialist D. creates conditions for individual freedom. Socialist constitutions. countries, other laws along with broad socio-economic. The rights proclaimed are freedom of speech, press, assembly, freedom of conscience, inviolability of home, privacy of correspondence, etc. of citizens. freedom. Moreover, these integral elements of D. are not simply declared, but actually guaranteed by the transfer into the hands of the people of the means of production, of all societies. wealth, the very way of life under socialism. In socialist countries, the rights and freedoms of citizens are inseparable from their responsibilities.

Socialist Democraticism under communism will develop into a communist system of public self-government, which, however, does not mean the abolition of democracy. principles and institutions. On the contrary, in communist in society they must receive further development, and only the state as a political instrument will wither away. power and that form of D., which is connected with it.

Excellent definition

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