Democratic centralism facts for kids

Anti-factionalist cartoon by the exiled section of the Romanian Communist Party, December 1931

Democratic centralism is a way political parties make decisions. It means that once a decision is made by voting, everyone in the party must follow it. This idea is mostly connected with Leninism, a political theory. In this system, a group of leading revolutionaries used democratic centralism to choose leaders, set rules, and carry out plans.

Democratic centralism has been used mainly by Marxist–Leninist and Trotskyist parties. But sometimes, other democratic socialist parties have also used it. Some experts wonder if democratic centralism was always truly followed in places like the Soviet Union and China. They point to times when leaders had disagreements or used clever tactics.

How it Works

Imagine a meeting where a new idea or plan is suggested. After everyone talks about it and shares their thoughts, a vote happens. If most people agree on a decision, then all party members are expected to support it. They should not keep arguing against it. The main goal is to make sure decisions are not weakened by those who disagreed. In countries like the Soviet Union and China, this method helped make quick decisions during fast changes.

People are allowed to discuss and criticize ideas before and after a vote. But once a decision is being put into action, talking or criticizing in a way that stops the action is not allowed. This helps make sure the plan goes smoothly. Some socialist countries also allowed free discussion in other ways, like Mao's idea of "Don't Blame the Speaker."

Lenin's Ideas

The book What Is to Be Done?, written in 1902, is often seen as the start of democratic centralism. At that time, it was seen as a way to organize a revolutionary workers' party. Vladimir Lenin often said his party model was "democratic centralist." He was inspired by the German Social Democratic Party. Lenin described democratic centralism as having "freedom of discussion, unity of action." This means people can talk freely, but once a decision is made, everyone acts together.

The idea of democratic centralism caused a split between the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks. The Mensheviks wanted less strict rules within the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1903. Leon Trotsky also agreed with them at first. However, Trotsky later joined the Bolsheviks in 1917.

The Sixth Party Congress of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party (Bolsheviks) met in Petrograd in 1917. They defined democratic centralism with these rules:

1. All party leaders, from top to bottom, must be chosen by voting.
2. Party groups must regularly report what they have been doing.
3. There must be strong party discipline. This means the smaller group must follow the larger group's decision.
4. All decisions made by higher groups must be followed by lower groups and all party members.

After the Communist Party took power in the October Revolution and the Russian Civil War, the leaders, including Lenin, stopped groups from forming within the party. This was Resolution No. 12 at the 10th Party Congress in 1921. Some people, called Trotskyists, say this ban was only meant to be for a short time. But there is no clear proof of this in the records from that meeting.

A group in the Soviet Communist Party called the Group of Democratic Centralism had different ideas about how the party should be run.

In his writing On Party Unity, Lenin said that democratic centralism stops groups from fighting within the party. He believed that such fighting could make members less friendly and could be used by enemies of the party.

By the time of Brezhnev's leadership, the 1977 Soviet Constitution described democratic centralism as a way to organize the state. It said: "The Soviet state is organized and works based on democratic centralism. This means all government bodies, from the lowest to the highest, are elected. They are responsible to the people, and lower bodies must follow the decisions of higher ones."

In the Soviet Union

For much of the time between Joseph Stalin's era and the 1980s, democratic centralism meant that the Supreme Soviet (the main lawmaking body) mostly approved decisions already made by the top leaders of the Communist Party. When the Supreme Soviet was not meeting, a smaller group called the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet handled its duties. This group could also make temporary laws. These temporary laws were supposed to be approved later by the Supreme Soviet. But this approval was usually just a formality. So, decisions made by the Party's top leaders became law.

The idea of democratic centralism also affected elections in the Soviet Union. Most socialist countries were run by a single party. In many cases, voters were given only one list of candidates to choose from. These candidates usually won with 90 percent or more of the votes.

In China

The Leninist idea of democratic centralism was brought to the Kuomintang party in 1923 during the Republic of China era. The Kuomintang worked with the Chinese Communist Party and got help from the Soviet Union. The way the Kuomintang was organized stayed the same until Taiwan became more democratic in the 1990s. This structure also influenced other Taiwanese political parties.

Democratic centralism is also mentioned in Article 3 of the current Constitution of the People's Republic of China. It says:

Article 3. The government bodies of the People's Republic of China follow the idea of democratic centralism. The National People's Congress and local people's congresses are chosen by democratic election. They are responsible to the people and watched by them. All government, court, and legal groups are created by the people's congresses. They are responsible to these congresses and work under their watch. The central and local government groups share duties. This is done to let local groups be active and excited, while still being led by the central government.

This means the National People's Congress is very important. It represents the citizens of China and makes laws for them. It also has the power to choose the head of state and head of government.

In Vietnam

The Communist Party of Vietnam is organized using the Leninist idea of democratic centralism. The Party's rules say that democratic centralism works like this:

1. Party leaders at all levels are chosen by voting. They lead as a group, but each person also has their own duties.
2. The highest Party leadership group is the National Congress. For regions, it's their own assembly. Between these big meetings, the Central Committee is the main leadership group. For regions, it's the Party Committees.
3. A regional committee must report to and be responsible to the Party assembly at its level. It also reports to committees above and below it. It must regularly report its situation and review its own work.
4. Party members and groups must follow the Party's decisions. The smaller group must follow the larger group. Lower groups must follow higher groups. Individuals must follow the whole team. Party groups must follow the National Congress and Central Committee.
5. A new decision can only be approved if more than half of the members agree. Before voting, everyone can discuss and share their ideas. Members who are in the minority can keep their own opinions. But they must fully follow the Party's decision and are not allowed to try to stop it. The Party leaders should study the minority opinions and not treat those members unfairly.
6. Party groups can make decisions within their assigned power. However, these decisions must not go against the Party's main rules, the country's laws, or decisions from higher Party groups.

See also

In Spanish: Centralismo democrático para niños