Political Culture and Communist Politics: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Abstract

What is the relationship between the way people view the world and the political orders that exist or come into being? This is hardly a new question. However, for a number of reasons, it is time to ask it again with the focus on Communist-party states. First, the political culture approach of the 1960s has gained its adherents among those who study politics in Communist-party states. There are now a number of studies of the political culture of these countries. Second, some of the East-European Marxists have recently discussed aspects of ideology, of culture, and social attitudes in their societies in novel and interesting ways. And, third, some scholars in Western Europe, mainly Marxists, have begun to re-examine the question of ideology in general and to suggest new methods of analysis. They have tended to ignore Communist-party states but we can (and should) see whether their work sheds light on political ideas and values in such states. Indeed to deal with the topic satisfactorily, we have to think comparatively and historically. How do political perceptions arise? How do we explain those that exist in Communist-party states? Inevitably we start thinking about the relationship between past sets of values and the present. Furthermore, if we wish to offer explanations for the types of political perceptions held in certain societies, we have to ask whether the political order in those societies is a relevant factor — and this can only be answered by comparison with societies which possess different types of political organisation.