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w2pow2's avatar

What kind of a government did the Soviet Union have?

Asked by w2pow2 (490points) October 19th, 2009

Joseph Stalin’s rule was that of totalitarianism, no doubt. But according to wikipedia’s definition of communism, democracy plays a big role and everybody gives their input. Did communism give Stalin the totalitarian power to do what he did?

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8 Answers

dpworkin's avatar

In my opinion, beginning with the exile of Trotsky it became a thuggocracy.

gussnarp's avatar

“Communism” was just an ideal used to motivate people, the government had nothing to do with Communism.

Thammuz's avatar

No it did not. As a matter of fact the communist party was never elected in the USSR. It was just a dictatorship sugar coated by the idea of the people putting it in power.

doggywuv's avatar

Totalitarian, I suppose communist.

wundayatta's avatar

It was most definitely not communism.

But in a way, it was little different from what was before. Power has been held in the hands of very few in Russia for many centuries now. Even today, I wouldn’t say they have a democratic “democracy.”

The_Compassionate_Heretic's avatar

The problem with the USSR was that there was a lot of corruption. Their system was Communism but in the truest sense of the word, the USSR was not indicative of Communism nor is the US a true democracy. It’s a republic.

mammal's avatar

It was communism warped into a grotesque regime in a large part because of relentless American pressure. I think Trotsky was correct without the arrival of international communism, the Soviet Union was fated to fail.

IchtheosaurusRex's avatar

It would best be described as an oligarchy:

noun, plural -chies.
1. a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.
2. a state or organization so ruled.
3. the persons or class so ruling.

Nominally, it was a parliamentary government, with a legislature known as the Duma, but all power within the Soviet Union was vested in a handful of senior officials in the Communist Party, and led by a single strongman, viz., Stalin, Krushchev, Breshnev, et. al. Succession was always handled through the machinations of a few at the top, with the populace having no say in the matter.

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