This was a good chapter to read that explained how Soviet Democracy works and also ended up debunking liberal democracy at the same time. Here the workers decide amongst themselves who their representative is rather than choosing between whatever parties have in the area, and once that’s been confirmed through elections the duty of politics and organising isn’t left to that representative but as a 2 way process between the workers and their representative. Having the means of production in the hands of the workers and peasants actually allows this as there is not a conflict of interest unlike with Capitalism.

Strong describes an account of election commissioners holding elections soon after fishermen had gone out to sea and being denounced for this undemocratic action. And despite this the fishermen crews still organised themselves so they were able to participate via deputies without having to interrupt work.

An industrial plant where less than 95 per cent of the workers come to the election hangs its head in shame as an institution lacking in civic consciousness.

Seeing these 2 accounts and comparing them to the local elections around me really showed the differences between a genuine democracy and whatever farce Capitalism holds up in an attempt to seem democratic. I checked the average voter turnout for local elections in my country over the last 20 years and the highest average mean was: just over 60%. With an average mean between 30-35%.

Seriously? I know its not an exact comparison but here 90 years ago industrial plants, not even whole counties, are unhappy with 95%.

Candidates never make speeches or election promises; this would be considered highly indelicate.

Meanwhile this is the entire premise of liberal elections.

To throw out the Communist Party bodily would be to throw out all the leading and organizing elements in all factories, farms, schools and enterprises; it could clearly be done only by upheaval leading to chaos.

Seeing this near the end of the chapter was a bit disheartening and she’s ended up predicting what happened during the 80s and 90s to the USSR. Pretty miserable combined with Stalin’s prediction during the 7th Plenum: “What would happen if capital succeeded in smashing the Republic of Soviets? There would set in an era of the blackest reaction in all the capitalist and colonial countries, the working class and the oppressed peoples would be seized by the throat, the positions of international communism would be lost.”