I'm incredibly pro-democracy (real democracy, obviously, not lib-shit pretend democracy) because I think even if some more educated "elite" experts or whatever could rule better, or w/e, this would fail in the long run. This take might be a bit hot for some here, but lets look at the USSR here. While it was much more democratic than any capitalist country, it was deficient. The local soviets did not actually engage in enough of the decision making and carrying out of decisions, and the party elite too much. Stalin tried to fix this (and ironically has been accused of being undemocratic for this), but ultimately failed. The masses and the party became disconnected. The single biggest factor in the collapse of the USSR was this. The party elites dissolved the USSR against the wishes of the people. The cultural revolution was an attempt to solve this problem - I'd call it a bit of a mixed bag in terms of success, but I think we need to study it deeply so we can do a better one next time. Cuba, from what I know, seems like the example to follow when it comes to democracy and the proper role of the party post revolution.
Basically, the masses HAVE to actually be involved in actual governance. Or else you get a situation where you have a small group running things in the interest of the masses, at first. Often, they do great, and the job they do is approved of by the masses. But with the disconnect, they will fall into revisionism eventually, every time. Like, we have to look at the USSR, which was dissolved undemocratically, that was sabotaged by the head of the CPSU who wasn't even a communist, vs. Cuba, which still exists and whose people just rewrote their constitution, passed that progressive family law, etc.
I'm really drunk right now, so could probably be making this point better. But democracy is the only way to communism. Even something like an enlightened cabal of real ass communists won't work, the masses have to actively be involved. This is, I think, one of the big things studying the history of different attempts at socialism makes evident.
I'm incredibly pro-democracy (real democracy, obviously, not lib-shit pretend democracy) because I think even if some more educated "elite" experts or whatever could rule better, or w/e, this would fail in the long run. This take might be a bit hot for some here, but lets look at the USSR here. While it was much more democratic than any capitalist country, it was deficient. The local soviets did not actually engage in enough of the decision making and carrying out of decisions, and the party elite too much. Stalin tried to fix this (and ironically has been accused of being undemocratic for this), but ultimately failed. The masses and the party became disconnected. The single biggest factor in the collapse of the USSR was this. The party elites dissolved the USSR against the wishes of the people. The cultural revolution was an attempt to solve this problem - I'd call it a bit of a mixed bag in terms of success, but I think we need to study it deeply so we can do a better one next time. Cuba, from what I know, seems like the example to follow when it comes to democracy and the proper role of the party post revolution.
Basically, the masses HAVE to actually be involved in actual governance. Or else you get a situation where you have a small group running things in the interest of the masses, at first. Often, they do great, and the job they do is approved of by the masses. But with the disconnect, they will fall into revisionism eventually, every time. Like, we have to look at the USSR, which was dissolved undemocratically, that was sabotaged by the head of the CPSU who wasn't even a communist, vs. Cuba, which still exists and whose people just rewrote their constitution, passed that progressive family law, etc.
I'm really drunk right now, so could probably be making this point better. But democracy is the only way to communism. Even something like an enlightened cabal of real ass communists won't work, the masses have to actively be involved. This is, I think, one of the big things studying the history of different attempts at socialism makes evident.