People's democracy (Marxism—Leninism) in the context of People's democratic dictatorship

People's democratic dictatorship (Chinese: 人民民主专政; pinyin: Rénmín Mínzhǔ Zhuānzhèng) is a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) term to describe the state system of the People's Republic of China. The premise of the people's democratic dictatorship is that it is led by the working class, based on the alliance of workers and peasants, and the system exercises democracy over the people who constitute the vast majority of the national population, while perceived hostile elements are subject to dictatorship. The CCP and state represent and act on behalf of the people, but in the preservation of the dictatorship of the proletariat, and possess and may use coercive powers against perceived reactionary forces.

The phrase is incorporated into the constitution of the People's Republic of China and the constitution of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The term forms one of the CCP's Four Cardinal Principles. Implicit in the concept of the people's democratic dictatorship is the notion that dictatorial control by the party is necessary to prevent the government from collapsing into a "dictatorship of the bourgeoisie", a liberal democracy, which, it is feared, would mean politicians acting in the interest of the bourgeoisie. This would be in opposition to the socialist charter of the CCP. The concept, and form of government, is similar to that of "people's democracy" and a "people's democratic state," which was implemented in a number of Central and Eastern European Communist-controlled states under the guidance of the Soviet Union.