By RUBENS PINTO LYRA*
Democracy is not only built through the implementation of socialism: its construction, difficult and gradual, still takes place under the aegis of Capital
My generation, in its youth, believed that the revolution was knocking on the door, within reach. The advent of the military dictatorship of 1964, implemented without almost any resistance, made this dream collapse. It was then believed that it would be possible to achieve socialism, albeit in stages, with the PT being the main instrument of this transition.
But the “correlation of forces” did not evolve linearly – far from it – as was long believed – in favor of “progressive forces”. One could even say that the opposite happened. Firstly, with the collapse of supposedly socialist countries, generating demobilization and disillusionment regarding the future on the part of capitalism's opponents. Then, with the exponential growth of the right, both in Brazil and in the most advanced democracies, with the result of the latest elections in Portugal and France confirming this trend.
The dominant understanding today of those who believe in the possibilities of social and democratic advancement is that, above all, the search for the consolidation and improvement of representative democracy, historically disqualified by a significant part of the left, is necessary. And one of the best ways to strengthen it is to complement it with institutes of participatory democracy, such as the democratic budget, public policy councils and autonomous and democratic ombudsman offices.
In fact, in Brazil they value it, when they show the need to preserve and improve it, given the advent and consolidation of Bolsonarism and other neo-fascist variants. But they depreciate it elsewhere, such as in the United States and other Western democracies. They do not point out its important limitations, intrinsic to democracy in capitalism, but they practically disregard it, to the point of not seeing significant differences in the relationship between it and regimes like the Russian one, which moves between authoritarianism and dictatorship. .
I understand that democracy under capitalism, even with deformations, is qualitatively distinct of a regime like Russia, and this has major practical consequences. Putin threatens Western powers with nuclear war if they contradict his policies – and no one can guarantee that it is not bravado. In this case, would there be anyone stopping him from achieving his goals?
In Western democracies, the risk of an individual compromising world peace, or the institutions of their country, due to voluntarist stances, is certainly much lower. According to a book by Washington Post reporters, in the United States, the Armed Forces were prepared not to comply with orders from then-President Trump if they considered them illegal (O Globo, 2021).
But the main guarantees of the democratic regime reside in the individual and collective freedoms guaranteed by this regime, in the weight of public opinion, with the possibility of expressing it, including through protests and mass demonstrations, in the pluralism of the media (even far from the ideal ) It is last but not least, in the sovereign exercise of universal suffrage, factors capable of inhibiting authoritarian or coup plots.
Many leftists do not understand such a significant difference because they believe that democracy is only built through the implementation of socialism, when, in reality, its difficult and gradual construction still takes place under the aegis of Capital.
Even in the face of so many difficulties, progress is possible, with socialism as inspiration, as long as democracy is valued in the theory and political practice of its activists. And whenever anti-capitalist strategies can take into account currently existing limitations, without giving up a project that, in the medium and long term, points to a socialist alternative.
May the current and new generations, by doing so, pave the way towards a new society “in which life will not lack any justification, given by success or anything else, in which the individual will not be manipulated by any force external, be it the State, the economic system or spurious material interests. A society in which man's material interests are not limited to the internalization of external demands, but which actually come from them and express objectives originating from his own ego” (FROMM: 1970, p, 130).
* Rubens Pinto Lyra He is Professor Emeritus at UFPB. Founder and former director of ANDES. Author, among other books, of Bolsonarism: ideology, psychology, politics and related topics (CCTA/UFPB)[https://amzn.to/49WpSUx].
References
American military high command prepared to stop Trump's coup attempt. The Globe, 16.7.2021.
FROMM. Eric. the dogma of Christ. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar, 1965.
the earth is round exists thanks to our readers and supporters.
Help us keep this idea going.
CONTRIBUTE
