The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-07-13


like bourgeois democracy, proletar-
ian democracy openly admits its
class character and aims avowedly
at the suppression of the exploiters
in the interests of the overwhelming
majority of the population. 1t de-
prives its class enemies of political
rights and grants to the proletariat
a number of temporary privileges
over the diffused, petty bourgeois
peasantry in order that it's role of
leadership may be consolidated. At
the same time the Soviets represent
an all-embracing form of unity and
organization of the masses under the
leadership of the proletariat, and
consequently they in fact draw the
masses of the proletariat and peas
antry into the struggle and into the
work of building up socialism, and
into the practical work of admins
tering the State. In all their work
they rely on the mass organizations
of the working class, put into prac-
tice the principles of broad demo-
cracy among the toilers and are i'm
measurably closer in touch with the
masses than any other form of gov
eminent. The right of electing and
recalling delegates. the combination
of the executive with the legislature,
the electoral system based on pro-
duction and not on place of resi-
dence election by the workshops,
factories, etc. - all this marks the
sharp difference that exists between
the bourgeois parliamentary repub-
lie and the Soviet dictatorship of
the proletariat.
Bourgeois democracy, while for
mally recognizing the equality of
all citizens before the law, is really
based on crying, class, material and
economic inequality. BY leaving in
violable and even strengthening the
capitalist class monopoly of the
means of production and other vi
tai forms of material wealth, bour-
geois democracy converts this for
NAL equality before the law, and
these democratic rights and liber-
ties into a juridical fiction as far
as the exploited classes and particu-
larly the proletariat is concerned,
and consequently, it utilities them as
a means of deceiving and subjugat-
ing the masses. Hence, it is capital
list democracy. On the other hand,
the Soviet State, by depriving the
exploiting classes of the means of
production and securing for the
working class houses, public build
ings, printing plants, means Of trav-
cling, etc., first and foremost guar
antees to the working class and to
the toilers generally the material
conditions for the exercise of theil
rights.
In the domain of formal rights
the Soviet State, by depriving the
exploiters and the enemies of the
people of political rights. for the
first time utterly abolishes Unequal
ity among citizens, which, under the
exploiting systems was based on
differences of sex, religion and ma
tionality; in this sphere it estab-
fishes an equality that exists in nc
other country in the world. At the
same time, the dictatorship of the
proletariat steadily lays down the
material basis for the actual realiza-
ton of this equality by such meas
ures as the emancipation of women
facilitating the industrialization of
former colonies, etc.
Soviet democracy, therefore, Is
proletarian democracy, democracy OF
the toiling masses, democracy direc-
ted against the exploiters.
The Soviet State presupposes the
complete disarming of the bourgeoi-
sic and the concentration of arms in
the hands of the proletariat; it is
the State of the armed proletariat
The organization of the armed fore
es is carried out on the basis Of the
class principle, which corresponds
to the whole system of the proletar-
ian dictatorship and guarantees the
role of leadership to the industrial
proletariat. This organization rests
on revolutionary discipline but at
the same time provides for the main
tenance of close and constant con-
tact between the warriors in the
Red Army and Navy and the masses
of the toilers, and for their par
ticipation in the administration OF
the country and in the work of
building up socialism.
The victorious proletariat utilities
the conquest of power as lever
of economic revolution, i.e., the re.
evolutionary transformation of the
property relationships of capitalism
into relationships of the socialist
method of production. The starting
point of this great economic revolu
ton is the appropriation of the land
lords and capitalists, i.e., the con.
version of the monopolized property
of the bourgeoisie into the property
of proletarian State.
In this sphere the Communist In.
ternational advances the following
| ac thu fun d a aant oil tasks Of Tho r,,o