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This book compares the Communist parties of India and South Africa in their pursuits of socialist democracy. Williams looks at their organizational characteristics, party history, and their competing tendencies, as well as how they have pushed forward their similar ideologies within their unique political and economic environments.

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The Paradox of Democratic Communism PART I: IDEOLOGY AND PRACTICE OF SOCIAL DEMOCRACY Communist Renewal and Ideological Convergence The Counter-hegemonic Politics of the CPI(M) The Hegemonic Politics of the SACP PART II: PARTY, CLASS, AND STATE IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT Party Capacities in Historical Perspective Competing Political Tendencies Party and Class under Electoral Politics Conclusion

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MICHELLE WILLIAMS is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Political Studies at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa.

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