Democracy in Marxism

Marxist theory envisions that a new democratic society would rise through the organized actions of the international working class, enfranchising the entire population and freeing up humans to act without being bound by the labour market.^[1]^[2] There would be little, if any, need for a state, the goal of which was to enforce the alienation of labour;^[1] as such, the state would eventually wither away as its conditions of existence disappear.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels stated in The Communist Manifesto (1848) and later works that "the first step in the revolution by the working class, is to raise the proletariat to the position of ruling class, to win the battle of democracy", and universal suffrage being "one of the first and most important tasks of the militant proletariat".^[6]^[7]^[8] As Marx wrote in his Critique of the Gotha Programme (1875), "between capitalist and communist society there lies the period of the revolutionary transformation of the one into the other. Corresponding to this is also a political transition period in which the state can be nothing but the revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat".^[9] He allowed for the possibility of peaceful transition in some countries with strong democratic institutional structures (Britain, the United States, and the Netherlands) but suggested that in other countries in which workers can not "attain their goal by peaceful means", the "lever of our revolution must be force" on the grounds that the working people had the right to revolt if they were denied political expression.^[10]^[11]

In response to the question "What will be the course of this revolution?" in The Principles of Communism (1847), Friedrich Engels wrote: "Above all, it will establish a democratic constitution, and through this, the direct or indirect dominance of the proletariat."^[12] While Marxists propose replacing the bourgeois state with a proletarian semi-state through revolution (dictatorship of the proletariat), which would eventually wither away, anarchists warn that the state must be abolished along with capitalism. Nonetheless, the desired end results (a stateless communal society) are the same.^[13]

Marx criticized liberalism as not democratic enough and found the unequal social situation of the workers during the Industrial Revolution undermined the democratic agency of citizens.^[14] Marxists differ in their positions towards democracy;^[15]^[16] in the words of Robert Meister, "controversy over Marx's legacy today turns largely on its ambiguous relation to democracy."^[17] Some argue democratic decision-making consistent with Marxism should include voting on how surplus labor is to be organized.^[18]

^ ^a ^b Calhoun 2002, p. 23
^ Barry Stewart Clark (1998). Political economy: a comparative approach. ABC-CLIO. pp. 57–59. ISBN 978-0-275-96370-5. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
^ Engels, Friedrich. "IX. Barbarism and Civilization". Origins of the Family, Private Property, and the State. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2012 – via Marxists Internet Archive.
^ Zhao, Jianmin; Dickson, Bruce J. (2001). Remaking the Chinese State: Strategies, Society, and Security. Taylor & Francis. p. 2. ISBN 978-0415255837. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2012 – via Google Books.
^ Kurian, George Thomas (2011). "Withering Away of the State". The Encyclopedia of Political Science. Washington, DC: CQ Press. p. 1776. doi:10.4135/9781608712434.n1646. ISBN 9781933116440. S2CID 221178956.
^ Fischer, Ernst; Marek, Franz (1996). How to Read Karl Marx. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-85345-973-6.
^ "Introduction to Marx's Class Struggles in France by Frederick Engels 1895". www.marxists.org. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
^ Marx, Engels and the vote (June 1983)
^ "Karl Marx:Critique of the Gotha Programme".
^ Mary Gabriel (29 October 2011). "Who was Karl Marx?". CNN.
^ "IWMA 1872: La Liberte speech". www.marxists.org. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
^ Laboutková, Šárka; Šimral, Vít; Vymětal, Petr (2020). Transparent Lobbying and Democracy. Springer Nature. p. 37. ISBN 978-3-030-36044-3. Retrieved 26 March 2025 – via Google Books.
^ Hal Draper (1970). "The Death of the State in Marx and Engels". Socialist Register.
^ Niemi, William L. (2011). "Karl Marx's sociological theory of democracy: Civil society and political rights". The Social Science Journal. 48: 39–51. doi:10.1016/j.soscij.2010.07.002.
^ Miliband, Ralph. Marxism and politics. Aakar Books, 2011.
^ Springborg, Patricia (1984). "Karl Marx on Democracy, Participation, Voting, and Equality". Political Theory. 12 (4): 537–556. doi:10.1177/0090591784012004005. ISSN 0090-5917. JSTOR 191498.
^ Meister, Robert. "Political Identity: Thinking Through Marx." (1991).
^ Wolff, Richard (2000). "Marxism and democracy". Rethinking Marxism. 12 (1): 112–122. doi:10.1080/08935690009358994. ISSN 0893-5696.

[Calhoun2002-23-1] Calhoun 2002, p. 23

[Clark1998-2] Barry Stewart Clark (1998). Political economy: a comparative approach. ABC-CLIO. pp. 57–59. ISBN 978-0-275-96370-5. Retrieved 7 March 2011.

[3] Engels, Friedrich. "IX. Barbarism and Civilization". Origins of the Family, Private Property, and the State. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2012 – via Marxists Internet Archive.

[4] Zhao, Jianmin; Dickson, Bruce J. (2001). Remaking the Chinese State: Strategies, Society, and Security. Taylor & Francis. p. 2. ISBN 978-0415255837. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2012 – via Google Books.

[5] Kurian, George Thomas (2011). "Withering Away of the State". The Encyclopedia of Political Science. Washington, DC: CQ Press. p. 1776. doi:10.4135/9781608712434.n1646. ISBN 9781933116440. S2CID 221178956.

[6] Fischer, Ernst; Marek, Franz (1996). How to Read Karl Marx. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-85345-973-6.

[7] "Introduction to Marx's Class Struggles in France by Frederick Engels 1895". www.marxists.org. Retrieved 15 April 2025.

[8] Marx, Engels and the vote (June 1983)

[Karl_Marx:Critique_of_the_Gotha_Programme-9] "Karl Marx:Critique of the Gotha Programme".

[10] Mary Gabriel (29 October 2011). "Who was Karl Marx?". CNN.

[11] "IWMA 1872: La Liberte speech". www.marxists.org. Retrieved 15 April 2025.

[12] Laboutková, Šárka; Šimral, Vít; Vymětal, Petr (2020). Transparent Lobbying and Democracy. Springer Nature. p. 37. ISBN 978-3-030-36044-3. Retrieved 26 March 2025 – via Google Books.

[13] Hal Draper (1970). "The Death of the State in Marx and Engels". Socialist Register.

[14] Niemi, William L. (2011). "Karl Marx's sociological theory of democracy: Civil society and political rights". The Social Science Journal. 48: 39–51. doi:10.1016/j.soscij.2010.07.002.

[15] Miliband, Ralph. Marxism and politics. Aakar Books, 2011.

[16] Springborg, Patricia (1984). "Karl Marx on Democracy, Participation, Voting, and Equality". Political Theory. 12 (4): 537–556. doi:10.1177/0090591784012004005. ISSN 0090-5917. JSTOR 191498.

[17] Meister, Robert. "Political Identity: Thinking Through Marx." (1991).

[18] Wolff, Richard (2000). "Marxism and democracy". Rethinking Marxism. 12 (1): 112–122. doi:10.1080/08935690009358994. ISSN 0893-5696.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]