New Democracy (Chinese: 新民主主义; Pinyin: Xīn mínzhǔ zhǔyì) is a revolutionary form of government developed by Mao Zedong, based on the alliance of four progressive classes (the proletariat as the ideological core, the peasantry, the urban petty bourgeoisie and the national bourgeoisie) in semi-feudal and semi-colonial countries. The goal of New Democracy is to advance to the dictatorship of the proletariat through the dictatorship of the four classes or the people's democratic dictatorship. As most countries that need New Democracy are agricultural countries, the peasantry is the engine of this type of revolution.[1]
The communist party leads these four classes against imperialism to develop capitalism and eventually transition to socialism.[2]
Chinese Revolution
China was a semi-feudal country. The Communist Party of China realized that the main power of the reactionary government was concentrated in the cities but weak in the countryside. There was exploitation of peasants by landlords. So one of the goals of the revolution was a land reform. For these reasons and due to the Shanghai Massacre, the communists withdrew to the countryside.
China was a semi-colonial country. So one of the goals of the revolution was to achieve independence. The national bourgeoisie was one of the classes that supported this goal, as it was backward in competition with the comprador bourgeoisie and imperialist monopolies. However, the national bourgeoisie is a class with a dual character, lacking the courage to stand against imperialism and feudalism as a whole.[3]
Other countries
Today, some communists from all over the world claim that their society is semi-feudal and semi-colonial. The communists in these countries declare the current revolutionary situation as New Democratic. People who see New Democracy as a universal reality are usually Maoists. Some Maoists in Turkey, Filipino Maoists, Peruvian Maoists and Indian Maoists are the most well known.
Criticism
The national bourgeoisie often fights against communist parties when they pose a threat to its power even if they relied on communist support earlier.[2] Some Hoxhaists and other groups criticize New Democracy for "advocating class collaboration".
References
- ↑ Mao Zedong (1993). The New Democratic Revolution: 'Tasks of the Chinese Revolution' (Turkish: Yeni Demokratik Devrim) (p. 48). The Umut Publishing.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Vijay Prashad (2008). The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World: 'Bali' (pp. 158–9). [PDF] The New Press. ISBN 9781595583420 [LG]
- ↑ Mao Zedong (1993). The New Democratic Revolution: 'Driving forces of the Chinese Revolution; b) Bourgeoisie' (Turkish: Yeni Demokratik Devrim) (p. 51). The Umut Publishing.