Some thoughts on democracy

(Second of two articles)

N the great debate now taking place, democra-
cy, freedom and the rights of the individual are
_ often presented as a conflict between those who
value human freedom above everything else and
those who propose to sacrifice human freedom for
political ends, between those who regard the
human personality as the supreme being and those
who want to subordinate the individual to the col-
lective, to. the state.

But this is not the real conflict, The real conflict

of our time is whether capitalism or socialism
shows more concern for democracy, freedom and
the’ rights of the individual—both in theory and
practice. Those who reject socialism, because of its
alleged disregard of democracy and the ‘rights of
the individual, are silent about the fact that under
capitalism, even in countries where democracy
exists, the individual is turned loose in the rat-
race to devour or be devoured.

It is precisely because Socialists are deeply con-
cerned about democracy and the individual that
they are determined to replace this rat-race by a
cooperative society. To make the individual sacred
it is necessary to abolish the social system which
crucifies him. The. conflict, therefore, is between
those who crucify the individual and those who
propose to free the individual.

In the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels
characterized socialism as “an association in which
‘the free development of each is the condition of
the free development of all.” Marxists consider
that the urge to greater democracy and freedom
of the individual is the human essence of the class

struggle. The Marxist strives to humanize man by —

humanizing the conditions of his existence..

We know that history develops through a process
of continuity and discontinuity. The new is born
in the womb of the old. The element of inheritance
in biology is present in the revolutionary change
from one society to another. Socialism, when it
makes its appearance, inherits both the good and
the bad of capitalism and the left-overs from pre-
- Capitalist societies as was the case in old tsarist
Russia and China.

It is often claimed by opponents of socialism that
socialism is out to change everything, to wipe the
slate clean, so to speak. This, of course, is com-
pletely false. The science of Marxism itself is a
continuation and development of the contributions
made by the foremost thinkers who pees Marx
and Engels.

Socialism continues and builds upon everything
that was democratic and progressive in the pre-
vious society. This includes the technical edifice,
the mighty productive forces developed under
capitalism, the “know-how” of the people, their
skills and talents, the democratic traditions and

democratic institutions, the progressive culture, the

arts and sciences.

What socialism discontinues is the productive
relations, the “rat-race.” It also discontinues the
practice of resolving international differences
through wars. It changes the conditions which
give rise to hatred, hypocrisy, bigotry, supersti-
tions and inhumanity.

The process of changing the mind of man is

i a protracted process and does not automa-

tically come into being with one stroke. Ex-
perience in the socialist countries has shown that
long after the establishment of socialism old think-
ing, old attitudes and habits, old ethics and morals
persist tenaciously. Marxists were guilty of simpli-
fications when they believed that the new socialist
man makes his appearance simultaneously with the
transfer of political power from the capitalist to
the working class and with the transformation of

By NORMAN FREED

With this article by Norman Freed,
the first part of which appeared in last
week's issue, the Tribune is opening its
‘pages to a discussion on the Communist
view of democracy. We invite our read-
ers, Communists and non-Communists
alike, to take part in this discussion by
sending in articles or letters containing
their questions, comments and views.

the main means of production from private to pub-
lit ownership.

The process of changing the mind of man and the
development of democratic: institutions and indi-
vidual rights is historically conditioned and made
more difficult when socialism inherits a backward,
underdeveloped country. ‘History for very valid
reasons created the conditions for the emergence
of socialism not in the economically and politically
more developed countries but first in an underde-
veloped country. This historic circumstance could
not but leave its mark on the process of the de-
velopment of socialist democracy.

It should be remembered that the USSR, and to

an even greater extent the People’s Republic of
China, both inherited countries which lived for
centuries under autocracy, in the main backward
peasant economies with widespread illiteracy, little-
developed democratic institutions and democratic

traditions and rights. Only relatively small portions °

of the population had any extensive education and
democratic enlightenment.

Is it any wonder, therefore, that these countries
experienced great problems in evolving socialist
democratic institutions and practices, The marvel
is that despite these problems they have been able
to make such tremendous advances. f

We are aware that socialist-minded people are
ready to acknowledge that the inheritance of the
past weigh heavily on the present. But they justi-

fiably point to practices in the realm of democracy —

which occurred and occur in socialist countries
years after socialism has been. established. They
point to the period of the Stalin cult (which, it
should be recalled, the Communist Party of the

Soviet Union voluntarily exposed) and to the de-

velopments in the Peoples Republic of China. These
were and are violations and distortions of socialist

democracy and are. indefensible. They cannot be:

explained, however, by pointing solely to the kind
of societies they inherited. It is necessary for
Marxists to examine what other obstacles to the
development of democracy there are in addition to
the problems arising from the legacy of the old
society. Such factors as tendencies to conservatism,
bureaucracy, violations of socialist legality, car-
eerism, commandism, the contradictions between
the interests of the individual and society within
the ranks of the revolutionary forces themselves.

It is undeniable from the experience of building
socialism that every state, including a socialist
State, carries within it elements of bureaucracy and
tendencies to conservatism. Experience also shows
that unless these tendencies are combated forth-
rightly and openly, with the full participation of
the people, providing institutional forms for the
full expression of people’s initiative, democracy,
which is inherent in socialism, will be delayed and
retarded instead of being developed to its full po-
tential. The building df socialism is facilitated the
more democracy is developed and not the other

_Wway around.

It should be remembered, however, that the

building of socialism is a new, uncharted path. No-

one was able to foresee beforehand all the prob-
lems that were likely to arise in the course of
building socialism. Thus trial and error was to a
considerable extent unavoidable. This is not said
to whitewash or belittle the grave mistakes that
have been made. The question is to learn from the
mistakes and avoid repeating them in the course
of building socialism.

Those who are moving toward socialism in our .

country should be aware that socialism in Canada
will inherit a very highly developed country, not
only in terms of the economy and technology, but

’ in the “know how,” and skills: and talents of our

people, the level of our education and culture, our

democratic traditions, institutions, that an indivi-

dual is innocent until proven guilty; the right. to

- habeas corpus; local self government; the right to

dissent; freedom of conscience and speech; freedom

to think and speak according to one’s convictions; .

freedom of discussion, the free clash of opposing
views, freedom of worship; freedom of the arts and
culture, freedom to organize political parties and

contest elections; freedom of access. to the mass -

media of communication; freedom of association
and assembly; the right to strike—all these are
very vital and meaningful aspects of democracy
that the Canadian people have won in whole or in
part, through bitter battles over the years.

Some of these democratic rights are real, some
are formal, some are sham. A socialist Canada will
continue the real, and transform the formal and the
sham into real meaningful rights and build on

them, extend them and enrich them through the ©

democratic will of the people. We are very frank

in declaring, however, that certain “freedoms” will ~

have to be eliminated: the freedom of one man to
exploit another, the freedom to advocate war, race
hatred and genocide, all of which are really viola-
tions of freedom.

We maintain that “absolute freedom” is an ab-
solute absurdity. As distinct from bourgeois con-
cepts of democracy we maintain that democracy
is socially conditioned. A socialist humanist always
takes into account the social and political impli-

cations and not democracy in the abstract. We are ~

convinced that freedom of discussion, the free
clash of opposing viéws, provides the best condi-
tions for the development of man, the progress of
society, the development of the sciences, the arts
and culture. Any attempt to settle controversial

issues by administrative methods obstructs crea-

tive development and does harm both to the. indi-
vidual and to society as a whole. Real democracy
is as necessary as the air we breathe. We believe,
therefore, that democracy has: tobe defended every
inch of the way. now and in the future.

We reject the idea that any one socialist model,

no matter how original or profound, is applicable -

to all countries with their diversified conditions,
different levels of development, different history
and traditions. The specific, historically-evolved
features of each country are an important factor in
determining both that country’s path to socialism
and how it will build socialism afterwards. The
Canadian people will no doubt contribute their own

‘originality both to the democratic path to socialism.

and to the building of socialism.

Marxism regards knowledge as an unfinigbed
process, no part of it is immutable or complete in
itself. Unless we are prophets or clairvoyants we
can never know in advance what new truths will
be discovered which may modify or displace what
was accepted before. The road to creative thought
is free research and debate. Wherever any of the

real democratic rights are violated or distorted we

forthrightly oppose them because they bring harm
to the people and to the noble socialist goal which
in one word is—humanism.

————

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November 25, 1966—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 19

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