Workers’ Democracy-Bolshevik Party’s Design Of Inner-Party Democracy In The Early Stage Of The Nep

After the victory of the October Revolution,the Soviet regime and Bolshevik Party led by Lenin tried to realize “direct transition” through the War Communism,but it later caused the economic and social crisis in the spring of 1921,so it decided to give up the War Communism and turn to the New Economic Policy(NEP).In response to the critical situation,the Bolshevik Party proposed to change the Party’s organizational form and working methods to “Workers’ Democracy” while turning to the NEP.The Tenth National Congress of the Bolshevik Party planned and pointed out the general idea and realization form of the “Workers’ Democracy”.In terms of purpose,it is a “new organizational form” adopted by the Party,which aims to make all Party members actively participate in the Party’s life.In the form of expression,it is manifested in the universal election,the reporting and the supervision systems.In terms of working methods,“we should carry out extensive discussions and debates on all the most important issues before the adoption of the Party’s resolutions that the whole Party must abide by,criticize the Party fully and freely,and collectively formulate Party-wide resolutions”.In the form of realization,it mainly includes holding regular public meetings of the leading organs,eliminating the factional activities,guaranteeing the right of criticism,keeping close ties with the masses,and purging the Party.Later,Lenin put forward some measures in his “political will”,such as expanding the supreme collective leadership,promoting grass-roots leaders,and reorganizing the Party’s Supervisory Commission.However,the “Workers’ Democracy” was finally terminated,and its side of strengthening “democracy” was put on the shelf,while another side of consolidating“centralization” was magnified disproportionally.The distortion of the “Workers’ Democracy” was closely related to such unfavorable factors as the strict tradition of inner-Party life left by the international communist movement,the policy inertia caused by the long-term war environment,Lenin’s fluctuating health,the Bolshevik Party’s fear of the NEP,and the most fundamental reason lies in the low civilized level of the Party members and masses.Furthermore,after the termination of the “Workers’ Democracy”,the bureaucracy within the Bolshevik Party was gradually intensified,the organizational principles were fundamentally changed,the NEP was prematurely terminated soon after,and the international communist movement was also adversely affected.In a word,as far as its essence is concerned,the “Workers’ Democracy” was an“expedient measure” adopted by the Bolshevik Party in the critical situation,and there is a certain consistency and contradiction between it and the NEP.The research on it can provide reference and enlightenment for correctly understanding proletarian party’s organizational principles and further improving the ruling level of the Communist Party.