Socialist Democracy in Yugoslav Municipalities and Local Communities, 1970s and 1980s

Abstract Grassroots governance in Yugoslav municipalities and local communities stemmed from the national liberation committees during the Second World War and developed through different stages of Yugoslav self-management. This chapter discusses the establishment and meaning of people’s power, people’s democracy and a self-managing democracy in Yugoslavia. It explores the participation of citizens in discussing, planning, selecting candidates and voting at local elections and referendums on matters that concern their local environment. In the last two decades of Yugoslav socialism, direct socialist democracy attracted millions of citizens who were willing to contribute, organise, and become part of the decision-making process to benefit their communities.