ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a review of the institutional foundation established by the revolution, including the new national state and the political system and the revolutionary measures that gave the people access to the economy, provided for social needs, and offered the opportunity for participation through mass organizations. It considers institutionalized participation in the state administration through the system known as Poder Popular. The chapter offers an assessment of the single party, the harmful effects of economistic policies, and the positive changes effected by the rectification process. The existence of a single party in Cuba has juridical and political justification, and it is based on the particular historical trajectory of its struggle for independence. The critical attitude that is increasingly developing within the Party and in the various social and mass organizations gains strength from the revolutionary positions taken by the majority of the population.
