The democratic concept of ＂change with the change of the people＂

[Reading Classics Theory]

At the celebration of the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), General Secretary of the Supreme Leader emphasized "developing people’s democracy in the whole process". The whole process of people’s democracy is real democracy, which reveals the essential characteristics of socialist democracy, that is, the people are the masters of the country; The whole process of people’s democracy is also concrete democracy, which is a summary of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theory and practice of people’s democracy. The discussion of democracy has always been an important aspect of Marxist classical writers’ in-depth thinking. Engels pointed out in his letter to Ai Bernstein on March 24, 1884 that democracy is not abstract and static, and "the concept of democracy … changes with the change of people every time". It can be seen that democracy should be concrete and historical. Reviewing Engels’ assertion can provide theoretical support for us to understand more accurately the vivid practice of people’s democracy in the whole process of contemporary China.

There is no abstract democracy in the world.

Engels specifically talked about the issue of "democracy" in his letter to Ai Bernstein: "Democracy … this’ concept’ changes with the changes of the people every time … In my opinion, it should be said that the proletariat needs the form of democracy in order to seize political power, but for the proletariat, this form, like all political forms, is just a means."

The word "democracy" in German means "the people are in power". Engels argued that the concept of the people is changing, so the concept of democracy should also change with the changes of the people. The proletariat has its own understanding of democracy, and those backward classes also have their own understanding of democracy. Engels pointed out that "if someone wants to regard democracy as an end today, he must rely on … those dying classes". Democracy here refers to bourgeois democracy. In the eyes of "those dying classes", bourgeois democracy is regarded as an end. For the proletariat, bourgeois democracy is not impossible for us, but it can only be regarded as a means, not as an end. The goal of the proletariat is to establish real democracy. As Marx and Engels pointed out in the communist party Declaration, seizing political power and striving for democracy are the first step of the proletarian revolution. "The first step of the workers’ revolution is to make the proletariat rise to the ruling class and strive for democracy". Only after the proletariat, through class struggle, breaks the bourgeois state machine in the revolution and establishes the dictatorship of the proletariat can a real democratic system be established.

Democracy and "people in power" are always concrete and historical, because the people here are always concrete and historical. In different historical periods, the people have different contents, including different classes, strata and groups. Marx said, "The state is an abstract thing. Only the people are concrete things. " Comrade Mao Zedong put forward more clearly: "There is only concrete freedom and concrete democracy in the world, but there is no abstract freedom and abstract democracy." Therefore, we can’t talk about democracy in the abstract, but we should distinguish the specific connotation of people and democracy.

The economic base determines whether people can be masters of their own affairs.

The concept of democracy changes with the changes of the people. Fundamentally speaking, this change is determined by the economic base. Lenin pointed out: "Any democracy, like any political superstructure (this superstructure must exist before the class is eliminated and the classless society is established), in the final analysis, it serves production and is determined by the production relations in that society." The concept of democracy changes with the changes of the people, and the people’s practical activities themselves are restricted by certain social and historical conditions, among which economic conditions play a primary and decisive role. In different production relations or economic systems, people’s practical activities and their functions are different, so the form of democracy varies with the economic base and people’s practical activities, and develops with their development.

Bourgeois democracy is based on capitalist private ownership. Therefore, although it is formally a "one-person-one-vote" electoral system, it is said that the "people" and the majority are the masters of the country, but in essence it only serves the dictatorship of the minority, that is, the bourgeoisie. As Lenin pointed out, "bourgeois democracy guarantees the equality of citizens regardless of gender, religion, race and nationality at any time and place, but it has never been implemented anywhere". Bourgeois democracy just "allows the oppressed to decide once every few years who will represent and suppress them in the parliament". Therefore, although bourgeois democracy has developed in line with the capitalist mode of production, it has played a certain progressive role in the development of human history. "But it is always a narrow, incomplete, hypocritical and deceptive democracy under the capitalist system, which is a paradise for the rich, a trap and a scam for the exploited and the poor." This form of democracy will eventually be replaced by socialist democracy.

General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out that "the people are the masters of the country is the essence and core of socialist democratic politics". Socialism has eliminated the exploiting classes and enabled the overwhelming majority of the social population to be masters of their own affairs. Therefore, socialist democracy is the most extensive democracy that truly realizes the interests of the overwhelming majority of people in the history of human society.

The whole process of people’s democracy is the new development of socialist democracy.

The concept of democracy changes with the changes of the people. Only in the socialist stage, especially when the people can manage state affairs, economic and cultural undertakings and social affairs according to law through various channels and forms, and actually participate in all aspects of these democratic practices, can such people truly become the masters of the country, society and their own destiny, thus realizing real democracy. Lenin once reminded Russian revolutionaries that "proletarian or Soviet democracy does not focus on declaring the rights and freedoms of all people, but actually ensures that those working people who have been oppressed and exploited by capital can actually participate in state management." Lenin used two "realities" to emphasize that only by paying close attention to implementation can the people truly be masters of their own affairs. Ensuring and supporting the people to be masters of their own affairs is not a slogan or empty talk, but must be implemented in all aspects of national political life and social life.

Since the founding of New China, especially since the reform and opening up, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has United and led the people to successfully open up and adhere to the road of political development in Socialism with Chinese characteristics, and gradually implemented the requirements of the broadest socialist democracy. In November 2019, General Secretary of the Supreme Leader stressed during his inspection tour in Shanghai: "People’s democracy is a whole-process democracy, and all major legislative decisions are made through scientific and democratic decision-making in accordance with procedures and through democratic brewing." People’s democracy in the whole process not only adheres to and perfects the institutional requirements of socialist democracy for the participation subject and the comprehensive content, but also emphasizes the integrity of the actual participation process itself, so that the people’s subjective status is more respected and the people’s initiative spirit is better brought into play. The whole process of people’s democracy includes democratic election, democratic consultation, democratic decision-making, democratic management and democratic supervision. The General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out: "Whether the people enjoy democratic rights depends on whether they have the right to vote in elections and whether they have the right to participate continuously in daily political life;" It depends on whether the people have the right to democratic elections and whether they have the right to democratic decision-making, democratic management and democratic supervision. Socialist democracy requires not only complete institutional procedures, but also complete participation in practice. " This important exposition points out that the whole process of people’s democracy emphasizes not only the complete institutional procedures, but also the complete participation in practice, the construction of the democratic system itself and the actual operation of the democratic system.This ensures that democracy in Socialism with Chinese characteristics is sustainable and can take root.

(Author: xingxing, a researcher at the Beijing Supreme Leader New Era Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought Research Center and a researcher at the Marxist Text Research Center of the School of Philosophy of Beijing Normal University)