Democratic centralism is not abstract democracy but a distinct historical form.

Evidence

Connected with the question of the bureaucracy and its “optimum” organisation is the debate about so-called “organic centralism” and “democratic centralism” (which despite its name has nothing to do with abstract democracy, in as much as the French Revolution and Third Republic developed form of organic centralism unknown either to the absolute monarchy or to Napoleon I). — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 772

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies that ‘democratic centralism’ refers to a real organizational-historical form, not abstract majoritarian democracy — a distinction worth carrying into state theory readings.
• XREF: connects to: Democratic centralism seeks unity inductively through practice, not by abstract deduction; Democratic centralism has nothing to do with abstract democracy.; Intellectual strata emerge from concrete historical class processes, not abstract democracy — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 275 (+2 more)
• yield-rescued: below the book’s yield-target cutoff, included anyway for connecting to: Democratic centralism seeks unity inductively through practice, not by abstract deduction; Democratic centralism has nothing to do with abstract democracy.; Intellectual strata emerge from concrete historical class processes, not abstract democracy — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 275 (+2 more)