Describing the National Democratic Revolution
“In capitalist society, providing it develops under the most favorable conditions, we have a more or less complete democracy in the democratic republic. But this democracy is always hemmed in by the narrow limits set by capitalist exploitation and consequently always remains, in effect, a democracy for the minority, only for the propertied classes, only for the rich. Freedom in capitalist society always remains about the same as it was in the ancient Greek republics: freedom for the slaveowners. Owing to the conditions of capitalist exploitation, the modern wage slaves are so crushed by want and poverty that ‘they cannot be bothered with democracy’, ‘cannot be bothered with politics’; in the ordinary, peaceful course of events, the majority of the population is debarred from participation in public and political life.” ― Vladimir Lenin, State and Revolution.
The National Democratic Revolution is aimed at addressing this concern that Lenin raised with the limitations imposed by capitalist (‘liberal’) democracy, which is in reality capitalism for the rich, as the formerly oppressed and exploited only witness democracy after every five years (or two-and-a-half years for local government) when they are going to cast their vote. In between the elections there is no democratic participation and an effective way to change their torrid circumstances. As such, the formerly oppressed and exploited tend to disregard a
