The formula of democratic socialism has entered our everyday vocabulary. But its ideological content and logic, which are well known in the West, have not yet been realized by us and are not linked to the emerging new concept of socialism. This article attempts to compare the Soviet experience of building socialism, based on the implementation of the formula of the dictatorship of the proletariat, with his new concept, based on the implementation of the formula of democratic socialism during the restructuring of Soviet society.

Since the ideas of socialism, the rights and freedoms of individuals and peoples began to be realized, they have become an inspiring source of increasing activity of the masses in the name of a better life. Under the banner of these ideas, the history of the entire twentieth century developed, enriching humanity with invaluable experience of various forms of movement towards socialism.

What does the Soviet experience look like? Let's not avoid answering the question by ridiculously comparing our growth with the pre-revolutionary period. Other countries didn't stand still either, development was happening everywhere.

The experience of the Soviet Union, despite some achievements, turned out to be negative in the final historical outcome. The gigantic work of three human generations, the incredible suffering and sacrifices of millions of people sacrificed on the altar of society have not brought us to the cherished height of progress. Within the framework of the old concept of socialism, the USSR was unable to achieve this. Let's face it. In the eighth decade of its history, our country continues to lag behind the advanced countries in terms of key indicators — the level of technology, the qualifications of workers, labor productivity, wages, quantity and quality of goods and services, social security and human rights, as it did many years ago.

Soviet society, due to its inherent contradictions, failures and unresolved problems, found itself in a deep crisis and faced the need for revolutionary renewal. We should clearly realize that renewal means a transition from one concept of socialism to another — from the theory of the dictatorship of the proletariat to the theory of democratic centralism, that it is not about changing the signboard, but about a revolutionary transformation — the transition from one system of socio-economic relations to another.

At one time, the dictatorship of the proletariat was considered by us as the main thing in Marxism, and the Soviets as its state form, the embodiment of the interests and will of the working people, and thus as the highest expression of democracy in general. State property was also assessed, which is the basis of a one-stage economy and non-commodity, centrally-administered farming. An unavoidable attribute of the old concept of socialism was actually the one-party political structure of society. The existence of different parties in a number of socialist countries was purely formal. The Communist Parties everywhere claimed to be the sole bearers of the socialist idea, and thus the representatives of the fundamental interests of the people.

However, what matters is not what was supposed to happen, but what happened, as shown by our real historical experience. The dictatorship of the proletariat has degenerated into a dictatorship of personal power. The Soviets did not bring workers to political power, but a party-state bureaucracy that eliminated all democratic rights and removed workers from power and property, using them to its advantage. The management was planned only in form, but in essence it led to huge imbalances, to an inefficient Samoyedic economy. The party's monopoly right to lead society has actually turned into the uncontrolled power of central and local party secretaries, who shamelessly trampled on the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens. The workers found themselves defenseless in the face of bureaucratic power alien to them. Le bonus d'anniversaire vous offre des paris gratuits spéciaux le jour de votre anniversaire chaque année. Pour être éligible à ce cadeau, vous devez utiliser le code promo gratuit 1xbet lors de la création de votre compte sur 1xBet pour obtenir votre bonus de bienvenue de 100% jusqu'à 130€. Assurez-vous de saisir votre date de naissance correcte lors de l'inscription, car elle ne pourra pas être modifiée ultérieurement. Le jour de votre anniversaire, 1xBet créditera automatiquement un code bonus sur votre compte, échangeable contre des paris gratuits ou des tours gratuits.