Your challenge is to have the Soviet Union turn into a real democracy as early as possible after its founding. How could this be done?
I think your best chance is to have Khruschev in power longer. He was beginning to introduce economic reform, and may well have been planning to introduce some political reforms too, before he was ousted in a military coup.
"Soviets without Communists" was a popular battlecry of several movements during Civil War, including Kronstadt Rebellion. However, post-1922 requirement for POD makes it inadmissible. I would say that Beria's leadership could have been the key to 1953 POD. There are hints that he was planning to "pull Deng", letting substantial private sector be. Chinese experience proves that it could actually strengthen Communist political dictatorship, but I don't believe it is inevitable consequence (CCP probably owns more of it's support to nationalist feeling and fear of warlordism, deeply stricken into soul of ordinary Chinese).Your challenge is to have the Soviet Union turn into a real democracy as early as possible after its founding. How could this be done?
I think that this is difficult to do without a substantial transformation of the Soviet state along the way. For example, I'm not sure how competitive multiparty elections would be in a reforming, undefeated USSR.
I only said that the Soviet Union had to be a democracy, not that certain things can't be changed...
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How is one defining "democracy"?![]()
Free and fair multiparty elections and general freedoms and human rights for all.![]()
POD: Lenins letter condeming Stalin is read earlier on.This leads to the Stalinist faction weakening and Trotsky taking power.
In the 20s Trotsky allows for small privatisation as well as an expansion of science.His more moderate 5 year plans are more succesful.