People's democracy: definition, principles and features

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

People's democracy is a concept that was widespread in Soviet social science after the end of the Great Patriotic War. This type of government existed in a number of pro-Soviet states, mainly in Eastern Europe. It was formed as a result of the so-called "people's democratic revolutions".

In this article we will define this concept, reveal its principles, give specific examples.

Definition

People's democracy in Soviet historiography was seen as a new form of transition to socialism in post-war conditions. In fact, it began to develop during the Second World War, and after its end it continued in a number of European countries.

At the same time, it is important to understand that this is people's democracy. The Soviet Union gave a fairly clear definition of the term. In the minds of the scientiststime people's democracy meant the highest form of democracy. It was a phenomenon that swept the countries of Eastern and Central Europe. In particular, they got acquainted with the definition of people's democracy in Bulgaria, Albania, the GDR, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia. It has also spread to some Asian countries. Party bosses talked about what people's democracy meant in North Korea, China, and Vietnam. Now in most of these states the type of government has changed radically.

In historical science, people's democracy was considered a transitional model from bourgeois democracy to a socialist state.

Political Principles

Formally, in the countries where this regime of government was established, a multi-party system was preserved. The governments of the national fronts, which were led by local communist parties, were in power.

In Europe, such national fronts arose to solve quite specific tasks that were of national importance. It was the restoration of full national independence, liberation from fascism, ensuring democratic freedoms for the population. These fronts in the people's democracies included peasant, workers' and petty-bourgeois parties. In some states, bourgeois political forces also found themselves in parliament.

During 1943-1945 the governments of the national fronts came to power in all countries of South-Eastern and Central Europe. For example, in Yugoslavia and Albania they played a decisiverole in the national liberation struggle against the Nazis. The communists who founded these national fronts ended up at the head of new governments in the people's democracies. In some cases, coalition governments have taken over.

People's Democratic Revolutions

Socialist transformations within the framework of such revolutions made it possible to establish the regime of people's democracy. Often it turned out to be almost tame, completely controlled from Moscow. All this took place with the participation of parliaments, as well as within the framework of the existing bourgeois constitutions. At the same time, the demolition of the old state machine here was carried out more slowly than in the Soviet Union. Everything happened gradually. For example, the old political forms even persisted for a while.

An important distinguishing feature of people's democracy was the preservation of equal and universal suffrage for all citizens. The only exceptions were representatives of the bourgeoisie. At the same time, in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, monarchies even operated for some time under the people's democracy regime.

Changes in the social and economic sphere

The policy that the national fronts began to implement was to seize property from the Nazis and their direct accomplices. If these were industrial enterprises, then state administration was established on them. At the same time, there were no direct demands to liquidate capitalist property, although this actually happened. Cooperative and private enterprises were preserved under people's democracy. However, the public sector played an incomparably greater role than before the war.

It was believed that agrarian reform should contribute to the development of people's democracies. As a result, large landed estates were liquidated. The principle of ownership of the land by those who cultivate it was applied. In full accordance with socialist ideas about the structure of the state.

The land that was confiscated was transferred to the peasants for little money, partly it became state property. The landowners who collaborated with the occupiers were the first to lose it. They also confiscated the lands of the Germans, who were deported to Germany. This is the situation in Czechoslovakia, Poland and Yugoslavia.

Foreign relations

The states of people's democracy are countries that in foreign policy were oriented in everything to the Soviet Union. Treaties and agreements on mutual assistance, friendship, post-war beneficial cooperation were concluded with some governments even before the end of the Second World War. For example, the USSR signed such a document with Czechoslovakia in December 1943, and with Poland and Yugoslavia - in April 1945

In the countries that were ex-allies of Nazi Germany, the Allied Control Commissions were founded. These were Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. Representatives of the USA, the Soviet Union and Great Britain took part in the work of these commissions. However, forDue to the fact that only Soviet troops were present on the territory of these states, the USSR had the opportunity to exert a much greater influence on their economy and politics.

Target

The purpose of the formation of people's democracies was quite obvious. In this way, the Soviet Union actually managed to come to power in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe. The dream of a world revolution was realized, albeit in a slightly modified form.

Once at the head of governments, the communists began to peacefully build socialism without social upheavals and civil wars. Everything was based on the creation of an interclass union, as well as the involvement in political life of the widest possible range of local social and political forces. That is, everything happened more gently than in the USSR itself.

Results

The situation began to change dramatically after the start of the Cold War. During this period, political and economic confrontation intensified. Moreover, it was necessary to significantly toughen the existing political regimes, and in some countries to accelerate the transition to socialist forms of management in the economy.

By 1947, in the people's democracies, the communist parties finally ousted all their right-wing allies from the National Fronts. As a result, they managed to strengthen their positions in economic life and government.

During the 1950s-1980s, the term was actively used to refer to all socialist countries, which at the same time maintained a multi-party system.

Czechoslovak Socialistrepublic

As an example, we will cite several countries in which such a form of government has been established. The key role in Czechoslovakia was played by the National Front, which existed from 1945 to 1990.

At the same time, in fact, since 1948, the direct leaders of the National Front and the only ones who had real power in the country were representatives of the local Communist Party.

Initially, the front was formed as an association of patriotic and anti-fascist parties. During negotiations with the communists, the parameters of his activities were determined.

1. The Front became a political association that was supposed to unite the entire nation. At the same time, it was assumed that the activities of parties that would not be included in it would be banned. The decision to include parties in the National Front was to be taken by the six political organizations that founded it.
2. The government should have been represented by all parties that are part of the front. Then it was supposed to hold parliamentary elections, the results of which would proportionally change the balance of power in favor of the winners.
3. The government's program was to be supported by all parties in the National Front. Otherwise, they were subject to exclusion and subsequent prohibition.
4. Free political competition was allowed between parties within the National Front. In the elections, they had to compete with each other in order to form their owncoalition.

The Social Democrat Zdeněk Firlinger became the head of the first government of the National Front.

Forming a government

All the parties that were part of the National Front advocated close relations with the Soviet Union, as well as the transition to socialism. Only to a greater or lesser extent, since different political forces interpreted socialism in different ways.

According to the results of the parliamentary elections, a new government was formed, headed by the communist Klement Gottwald. Slovak and Czech communists won about half of the seats in parliament. The Communists almost openly sought to win leadership positions in the National Front. It was substantially reconstructed in 1948 after the leaders of the three parliamentary parties, apart from the communists, resigned. The rest accused yesterday's partners of violating the principles of the association's activities, after which they proposed changing the organization exclusively on a democratic basis. In addition to the parties, it was supposed to involve trade unions, mass public organizations.

After that, in institutions and enterprises began to form action committees, which were led by the communists. They had real levers of control in their hands. From then on, the National Front became an organization that was entirely controlled by the communists. The remaining parties, having carried out purges in their ranks, confirmed the leading role of the Communist Party in their country.

According to the results of the elections to the National Assembly in 1948, almost 90 percent of voters voted forNational Front. The Communists received 236 mandates, the National Socialists and the People's Party of Czechoslovakia - 23 each, the Slovak parties - 16. Two seats in parliament went to non-partisan candidates.

The National Front played a decorative role in both people's democratic and socialist Czechoslovakia, which was proclaimed in 1960. At the same time, it was a certain filter, since any mass organization had to join it in order to legalize its activities. From 1948 to 1989, all the citizens of this country voted in elections for a single list, which never had an alternative. He was nominated by the National Front. The government consisted almost entirely of its members. Representatives of non-communist parties owned no more than one or two portfolios. In the 1950s, the formal practice of discussing candidates who were nominated for elections was still used.

An attempt to revive the original idea of the National Front was made in 1968 during the so-called Prague Spring. At that moment, the popular reformer Frantisek Kriegel headed the Central Committee. He spoke of the front as a nationwide political movement.

The Soviet Union reacted to such an attempt at democracy from a position of strength. After Dubcek was elected First Secretary of the Central Committee and he carried out reforms aimed at decentralizing power, expanding the rights and freedoms of citizens, Soviet tanks were brought into Prague. This put an end to any attempt at reform and transformation.

Dissolution of the Nationalfront took place only in 1989. All this time he played a key role in the government of the country. As a result of the Velvet Revolution, the Communist Party lost its monopoly of power. By January 1990, the reconstruction of the parliament was completed, into which representatives of the opposition entered. In the resulting political conditions, the existence of the National Front turned out to be meaningless. The parties that were part of it decided to dissolve themselves voluntarily. In March, the article that regulated his role in the life of the whole of Czechoslovakia was excluded from the constitution.

GDR

Similarly, the situation developed in the German Democratic Republic. The prototype of the National Front was created here at the end of 1947 under the name "People's Movement for Just Peace and Unity". Already at its second congress, Wilhelm Pieck was elected chairman. A draft constitution was drafted and submitted for consideration.

In October 1949, the document was adopted, it was recognized by the Soviet occupation administration. Shortly thereafter, the public organization was renamed the National Front of Democratic Germany. All legal political parties and movements, the largest trade unions became its participants. The position of front president was introduced. The non-partisan Erich Korrens was the first to take it. Soon it was decided to put forward single lists in the East German parliamentary elections.

Since there were no alternative lists, deputies and associations represented by the front invariably won. When individualGerman politicians declared the illegitimacy of such lists, they were imprisoned on charges of denying the law on elections in the GDR.

In 1989, the front lost its importance almost immediately after the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany and the Christian Democratic Union left it. A few days later, the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany was transformed into the Party of Democratic Socialism. From her previous policy, she tried to distance herself as much as possible. In February 1990, the constitution was amended to remove any mention of the National Front from it. Previously, they were kept there, as in almost all countries of people's democracy.

Some modern experts believe that when creating the All-Russian Popular Front in Russia in the spring of 2011, Vladimir Putin was inspired by the example of the National Front of the GDR.