Soviets in political practice of the Russian revolutions and in contemporary democracy theory

Annotation

Today, as the crisis of representative democracy becomes increasingly acknowledged in political theory, there is a rising demand for alternative institutional frameworks. In this context, the author delves into the phenomenon of the Russian Soviets. While this institution often served as a mere façade for the one-party dictatorship in the USSR for decades, it also conceals another significant aspect of its history: the Soviets’ emergence during the two Russian revolutions as a manifestation of grassroots self-organization and collective action by the masses. This article examines the history of the Soviets from their inception in 1905 to the erosion of their democratic essence during the Civil War. The author also engages with the theoretical insights on the Soviet experience offered by H. Arendt, K. B. Macpherson, and A. Callinicos. Ultimately, the conclusion drawn is that the history of the Soviets holds substantial relevance for contemporary democratic theory, which grapples with the dysfunctions inherent in the representative system.

Keywords

• democratic theory
• crisis of democracy
• Soviets
• Russian revolution
• direct democracy
• industrial democracy
• H. Arendt
• K.B. Macpherson
• A. Callinicos
• Bolshevism
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Acknowledgments

the article was prepared in the framework of a research grant funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (grant ID: FZNF-2026-0003).

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