To decide once every few years which members of the ruling class is to repress and crush the people through parliament--this is the real essence of bourgeois parliamentarism, not only in parliamentary- constitutional monarchies, but also in the most democratic republics.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Lenin claims periodic repression by the ruling class through parliament is the core of bourgeois parliamentarism.
- In plain terms
- Parliament is used to crush people every few years.
- What can you take from it?
- Political systems can be tools for elite oppression.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do different democracies compare?
- Can parliament be reformed to serve people?
Another view
The view assumes all parliaments function identically.
More from Vladimir Lenin
The worker is becoming impoverished absolutely, i.e., he is actually becoming poorer than before; he is compelled to live worse, to eat worse, to suffer hunger…
Permalink to quote #16 Shame on America for the plight of the Negroes!
Permalink to quote #18 It is logical to assert that all matter possesses a property which is essentially akin to sensation, the property of reflection.
Permalink to quote #15
Related quotes
From the vulgar bourgeois standpoint the terms of dictatoship and democracy are mutually exclusive. Failing to understand the theory of class struggle and accu…
Vladimir LeninVladimir Lenin quote #64 But the mass of the old electors did not analyse very much: they liked to have one of their 'betters' to represent them; if he was rich they respected him much…
Walter BagehotWalter Bagehot quote #2 We may be proud that England is the ancient country of Parliaments. With scarcely any intervening period, Parliaments have met constantly for 600 years, and th…
John BrightJohn Bright quote #3