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• n  the political policy of concentrating power in a central organization

• By "democratic centralism" within the Communist Party, Lenin had hopednot very optimistically in his last daysto prevent a continuance of a personal dictatorship like his .
• This time, though, the centralism, dirigisme and state-heavy socialism of l'exception franaise are being replaced by privatization, decentralization and entrepreneurship.
• Critics charged that party leaders' autocratic exercise of "democratic centralism"the party's code word for unquestioned rule from the tophad provoked the split with .

Quotes

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• Hristo Stoichkov in The South African Star
  Every time Barcelona and Madrid meet, it's an act of rebellion against the established power, against centralism,said former Barca striker Hristo Stoichkov.
• Vladimir Lenin in Workers' Liberty
  Lenin explained in 1907: "The principle of democratic centralism and autonomy for local Party organisations implies universal and full freedom to criticise, so long as this does not disturb the unity of a definite action...... Criticism within the...
• John Howard in The Australian
  John Howard said yesterday he was not going to "embark upon some orgy of centralism" after legal experts said the High Court's ruling would pave the way for Canberra to seize control of areas including health, education, water and local council...