u/Captain_Swordfish

In some Communist countries, the ruling party led some kind of "National Front" organization with smaller, non-oppositional parties. I know this was the case in East Germany, Poland, and China (to this day). I am curious about why these parties existed and what they offered

To the ruling parties, I imagine they provided some legitimacy (as in: it's not technically a one-party state). What about to the people? Why would any East German join the Democratic Farmers' Party instead of the SED? Were these parties actually a means of exercising political influence?