Democratic Communism?

[Kaotic]

Hey Guys,

Just a question where does communism satdn wiht democracy?

Beacuse most of the commie countries were either dictatorships or totalitarian?

Is communism synonimous with dictatorship or can it be a democracy aswell?

Cheers,
Kaos

[bunk]

.... (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?showtopic=34715&hl=dictatorships)

read this

[OleMarxco]

Right. Aren't we just too lazy to come up with an answer of our own, aren't we? That link doesn't even address the problem fully, and heck, even I am in it! So I am perhaps too to blame :rolleyes:

But seriously, here's MY answer to you - simplified for a rough guide (I am hardly an authority, most of what I say is repetions of parts, nicks and bits I've learned here and there): Communism will advocate Direct Democracy (No parties, only open "organizations" (loosely used, of course) for people with equal membership) and will consist solely of decantralized power of combined with communes of people working togheter, withouth a central state overruling them. And militias for defence will be made by volunteers and people as they see fit - for any threath. No "getting sent" to a war in a hell-hole somewhere here, no.

That's atleast how I envision it. And as for working places, they have councils of workers and everyone can rotate around for whatever job they want (withouth any routines, you get stuff beside basis sustenance aslong as you are helping SOMEHOW)! There are no limits in it, there is no "class" restriction - either by capital, law or organized religion, NOR long educations heavily indoctrined wif' propaganda bullshit, and there sure as hell is no bosses: No-one can fire you or outsource your job in Communism. Pure democracy - Withouth ulterior powerful groups influencing matters with their petty conspiracies :redstar2000:

[kurt]

Originally posted by [email protected] 25 2005, 10:02 AM
Hey Guys,

Just a question where does communism satdn wiht democracy?

Beacuse most of the commie countries were either dictatorships or totalitarian?

Is communism synonimous with dictatorship or can it be a democracy aswell?

Cheers,
Kaos
The first thing that I think needs to be addressed here is the misconception that the USSR, it's satellite states, and other so-called communist countries were not communist. Calling a country is a paradox, since communism is a classless, stateless society, and can only be achieved when the entire world is communist, and artificial borders are destroyed.

Also, keep in mind that in all these so-called 'communist' countries of the 20th century, and present day world are not even socialist, since these countries did not have a large proletariat, and thus these revolutions were misguided bourgeoisie revolutions, which can only lead to the restoration of capitalism, or compromises.

As far as your question goes, the answer is simple. Communism is by no means a dictatorship, every aspect of society would be democratic, unlike today where we fundamentally democratically elect a dictatorship that acts in the ruling class's interests, and operates under a facade of 'freedom' and 'democracy'.

A common misconception that many have regarding the stage between communism and capitalism (which is socialism) is the dictatorship of the proletariat. Right now, under capitalism, we live under the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie (minority over the majority), but under socialism, the proletariat would control society, and act in its interests until classes are eliminated.

I believe OleMarxo, albeit very lightly, touched on how communism would run. It would be extremely decentralized, democratic to the fullest extent of the word.

[Palmares]

Communism in its conceptual form is actually one of the truest forms of democracy. Only by means of the intermediate period, socialism, to which it is deemed "neccessary" to have a dictator and/or vanguard to reach communism, does despotism come into the equation.

I think your real question is really:

Is the dictatorship of the proletariat neccessary to reach communism?

Is libertarian communism possible?

[pofi]

Ok but direct democracy imply that the minority must be respected and listenned, so everybody can submit his ideas and thoughts to the community. What I want to say there will certainly always be some people that believe in more capitalistic ideas, more right wing ideas and they will try to convice poeple of the greatness of their ideas. We will have to respect everybody ideas even ones that make us go backward, because of democracy. You know, making peoples vote for every fucking society choices that we would have to do would be a really democratic thing but do you imagine the time it would take to take descisions. Democracy is a very slow process because there is always people that think the opposite of the "path the society want to take" and in a democracy we must respect those. And even sometimes democracy do not lead in a necessary good path.

When the revolutionnaries took the power in Cuba if they would have listen to everybody and would have set a true democracy maybe today Cuba would be exactly what it was before the revolution. But is Cuba a good regime? Hope you get my point...

The question of democraty in a socialistic society have no real answer in my head. If someone knows some books or writings about the question it would be really welcome.

[More Fire for the People]

Communism, or the highest stage of it, is a society that lacks both democracy and dictatorship because they are no longer needed.

The transition fo communism is marked by the dictatorship of the proletariat, which is a poetic expression of the rule of the proletarian and the suppression of capitalism.

It is the opposite of the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie which is a combination of facade democracy, oligarchy, and rule by elite minority and the suppression of proletarian democracy.

The dictatorship of the proletariat is synomous with socialism and is democracy by the proletarian so thus socialism in transition to communism is a democratic.

Communism is not a dictatorship in the capitalist sense of the word.