The book discusses so-called real socialism and offers an alternative conceptualization of it as authoritarian collectivism, making use of an analytical methodology, as well as dwelling on its genesis, development and demise. The political dimension stands out in the conceptual articulation, with ‘democratic centralism’ and the prominence of the Communist Party, working from the top down, hierarchically. The book concentrates on the principles of ‘real socialism’, particularly in the Soviet Union but also globally, analysing also its present embrace of capitalism, particularly in China, but also elsewhere, taking account of how these political principles remain however in place today.
Table of Content
Introduction; 1. Authoritarian Collectivism and the Political Dimension; 2. Political Command: The Elementary ‘Cell- Form’; 3. The Party- State and Political Commands; 4. The Law, Rights and the Judiciary; 5. The Nomenklatura: Political Power and Social Privilege; 6. Political Systems and Political Regimes; 7. Developmental Trends; 8. Authoritarian Collectivism and Capitalism Today; 9. Socialism and Communism; 10. Looking into the Future; Notes; References; Index.
About the author
José Maurício Domingues has a Ph D in Sociology from the London School of Economics. He teaches at UERJ (Brazil) and he received the Annelise Mayer Research Award of the Humboldt Foundation in 2018.
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