Opseg i funkcije masovne političke participacije u socijalističkim sistemima
The Amount and the Function of Mass Political Participation in Socialist Systems

Summary/Abstract: Political participation is seen by the author as a potential factor of the legitimization of political power. There are three specific institutional areas of political participation. The first area is defined by the structure and the activity of the Communist Party and the mass political organizations linked to the Party. (Contrary to the ingrained ideological interpretations) the high degree of working class membership in Communist Parties does not only have the purpose to mask the class split within society but also to achieve a minimal consensus at least between the elite and the masses. The second area is defined by the institutions of political representation, while the third area is formed by political campaigns functioning as a reserve means of political mobilization when established institutional mechanisms appear to be insufficient. The primary function of political participation is to establish political communication between the dominant and the subordinate class. Political control over workers’ interests can be achieved only through their intense and permanent (re)socialization. Thus the establishment of an identity of the power elite's interests and the interests of the masses is being attempted on an ideological level, while the centralized and monopolistic structure of authority is in fact maintained.

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