Review article
Changes in Assemblies of Socio-Political Communities in SR Croatia
Milan Benc
; Centar za sociologiju sela, grada i prostora Instituta za društvena istraživanja Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Trg kralja Tomislava 21/1
Abstract
In that, for the most part, informative article, the author considers changes in socio-demographic structures of Socio-Political Communities Assemblies, in the course of the socialistic progress. He takes data about age and sex of the Commune Assemblies’ committeemen and representatives of the SR Croatia Congress, as well as of the member of SFRJ Assembly from SR Croatia. Special attention has been pain to the change of the socio-political system introduced in 1974, by means of which the institutional representative system was substituted for a delegational system, as a form of the immediate socialist democracy. That change would logically have to influence the participation of women and youth in Assemblies of Socio-political Communities.
Delegational system has, beside the rest, offered an essentially different basis of elections, in the course of elections for the committeemen.There were provided electoral rolls for the potential candidates before, now, instead, the delegational system treats all the members of delegations as the potential delegates for Assemblies of Socio-Political Communities, extending thus the basis of potential candidates. Now, there is no need »to recall* the socio-political activists what used to result in remaining within the range cl »experienced« socio-political workers, but an immediate influence of citizens upon the whole course of elections is being made possible.
Comparing data about the socio-demographic structures of Socio-Political Communities, and depending upon the results of earlier researches, the author emphasizes basic regularities that influence changes of those structures:
a) Regardless of the changes in a relative participation of particular socio-demographic structures in Assemblies of Socio-Political Communes during the analysed period, the further influence of a traditional mentality-especially traditional relationship towards women and the young- appears, although changes point at the re-establishment of new social relations that eliminate traces of a traditional mentality. In that context there are greater chances for socio-political acknowledgment of women and youth, especially in the developed social environments.
b) Structural changes represent general tendencies of the socio-political and economic progress (construction of a political system, particularly introduction of a delegational system), as well as the political situation and political initiative. Those general tendencies cause changes in the time dimension, established by comparing data received at a number of electoral periods.
But, speaking of the time dimension as a resultant of the socialistic social progress, it should be emphasized that the political encouragement is still necessary, because of the structural determinants, in an effort to assure participation of certain structures at the election of delegations and delegates for Assemblies of Socio-Political Communities. Effectiveness of such an encouragement depends upon general tendencies and political situation.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
156161
URI
Publication date:
30.9.1976.
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