Democracy plays an important role in our everyday lives. It ensures that no government can threaten a person’s freedom unless it is with expressed concern of the people. Without it we would not have the same type of freedom that we now have today. In this moment in time we understand the multiple notions of democracy but we are divided upon which theory of democracy best represents our nation in this point in time. One side believes in Karl Marx’s conception of democracy and the other side believes in John Locke’s notion of democracy. Democracy is known to be the government that is for the people and by people. However, we have seen in recent times that is not the case. We have continuously seen the government overlook the needs of its citizens and primarily focus on the needs of the higher class. The government time and time has shown more favor in gaining more capital than gaining rights for their citizens. People who are not part of this higher class are treated very poorly. Their rights are being violated by the higher class and we need to change that. As people of this nation, we need to unite and join forces instead being divided by these ideas of democracy. We need to make an united to decision about which notion of democracy is the most beneficial to us right now in this moment in time to help better this nation. That is why I propose we follow along Karl Marx’s idea of democracy. That is not to say that John Locke’s idea are irrelevant or unimportant but in this moment of time, I believe that Marx’s idea of democracy will help us move towards a better future for the whole nation.
Many will believe that Marx’s ideas have no correlation to the present times but Marx wrote his ideas during that time of the Industrial Revolution, where he first handley saw and understood the impact of class distinctions. He understood the distinction to be between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Marx saw the bourgeoisie as the oppressors in the state and the ones who constantly need to expand and control every aspect of the market through exploitation and power (Marx and Engels 12). Marx also describes the bourgeoisie as taking control of some productive capacity and leverage that control to make profit for themselves without actually putting labor into the productive capacity. The proletariat do the actual labor of producing the material items. Marx explains that the proletariat’s labor is abused by the owners of the means of production. The proletariat only live as long as they find work and they only find work only if their labor increases capital (Marx and Engels 15). Their whole entire life is reliant upon the labor that they put forth. Nothing else is seen as important than their labor. In recent times in our nation, there have been similarities to Marx’s ideas of class struggles in our society. The people who are not part of this higher class have been chained to their labor and have not been able to live freely. A person’s labor is seen more valuable than the person itself. We need to create a society where one is can be free and equal to live their life as they please without being controlled by their labor.
Marx describes the struggle between the oppressed and oppressor as being detrimental to both parties. He states that the proletariat struggle is a national struggle and how the modern laborers are continually suffering deterioration of their status and cannot be fixed by the bourgeoisie. They are unfit to rule because they cannot promise a “existence to it slave within slavery” (Marx and Engels). The bourgeoisie are the only hurting themselves in the process alongside the proletariat. Marx proposes that the capitalist society that has been reinforced by the bourgeoisie has created social relations only focused on money. These relationships will eventually destroy the relations that created them. Capitalism can overcome scarcity of resources which will cause the proletariat to no longer attain or keep a job. Capitalism will put the proletariat in the position to revolt or starve. Marx was not calling for an abolition of government itself, he understood the problems that were associated with government, particularly when it involved an uneven notions of class. He recognized the inherent problems in a government where there was an upper class and advocated a government that was part of the people.
When the proletariat decides to revolt their first aim must be “to raise the proletariat to the position of ruling class, to win the battle of democracy ” (Marx and Engels 27). In order to have real democracy, the workers must become the ruling class. Only the revolution that replaces the class rule of the capitalists by the class rule of the workers can really establish democracy. The proletariat will not follow along with liberal democracy. Liberal democracy is the protection of private property in a way that sets the basis of capitalism. In capitalism, the class who owns the means of production rules the relationships of production, thus rules the society. Through this the ultimate goal of state is to uphold the established mode of production. In the revolution, democracy is used for the proletariat to overthrow the bourgeoisie. Democracy is a tool for a peaceful workers revolution, which in turn would create a dictatorship of the people, by the people. Every democracy is also a dictatorship of the ruling class. Proletariat needs a state temporarily, until the society reaches the classless, higher phase of communism. Dictatorship of proletariat is needed to eradicate the resistance and residues of bourgeois teachings and ideas. The dictatorship of proletariat would consist of political power being held by the working class and state power wielded in their interests. Marx also stated that a the proletariat’s democracy is only a temporary and transitional form necessary prior to the establishment of a communist society. When the communist society is reached, the class of proletariat would disappear, along with the state, to form a classless and stateless society. Democracy allows for the oppressed class to perpetuate the class struggle and set up a society where equal labor is given and received.
Marx ideas correlate to the struggles that we are facing right now in our nation. The capitalist model has taken over and the main focus of everything is monetary gain. The rights and needs of citizens have been overlooked and undermined as this nation has moved through this intense form of capitalistic gain. We are living in a society where all are relationships and goals are only held to be important if there is a monetary value attached to it. We need to take initiative and move towards creating a society that puts adequate value on labor and values all citizens even if they are not in the top one percent. Marx’s teachings will help guide this nation to a better quality of life for all of its citizens. However, even if Marx’s notion of democracy may be the best for our nation in this moment in time, it is best to look at and understands Locke’s notion of democracy to strength our outlook on which democracy will best represent this nation.
Locke and Marx agreed and strived for fairness in the for fairness to be held as one of the most important elements of government. However, their disagreements arise in the how much they believe in the government. Locke is shown to have a more optimistic view on the government compared to Marx. Also, Locke and Marx both claimed that man has the right to change or remove the government. Locke believed that this was only needed if absolutely necessary while Marx believed that it was crucial to bring about change and resolve the class struggle.(Locke 119). Locke believed that the all human beings are born with natural inalienable rights which consisted of life, liberty, and property. Locke envisioned a society where a citizen could attain and accumulate property and a democracy that equated the labor put forth to a citizen’s value. In this type of system, a person has the right to acquire wealth for themselves. if he or she decides to want more than what they are given, they have the ability and right to work harder to achieve it. A person can take what they are given and acquire more if they choose. As stated by Locke, “ The earth and everything in it is given to men for the support and comfort of their existence” (Locke 26). Locke believes that it is the right of citizens to be able to exercise this right and all persons are completely free and detached from outside influences.
When describing the importance of government, Locke describes the different states that which man is in before he enters a political society. After being in the state of nature and state of war, one decides to enter a political society where one gives up one’s right to execute the law of nature or reason in return for the protection of one’s property (Locke 55). In a political society, individuals must freely consent to being governed – the assumption is that no one will freely consent to having their natural rights violated – but pure democracy makes it too easy for a majority to impose laws on a minority that the minority would not consent to. Locke concludes that in this civil society the only rule that makes sense is democratic rule. This democratic rule is a tool to enforce and protect the social contract. The social contracts purpose is to protect and preserve people’s property. Locke believed that private property was essential part of a person’s individual freedom, while Marx called for the abolition of private property because he saw it as source of alienation and obstacle to achieve individual freedom. Private property in Marx’s terms is seen to be the cause of problems in human society and related to the unequal distribution of wealth. Locke’s notion of democracy allows for the protection of a person’s natural rights in a political society after they have given up some of his or her rights. In this type of democracy, the focus is on the accumulation of wealth and how the acquiring of property is considered a person’s natural inalienable right. However, this accumulation of wealth prevents some people from having the same opportunities as others. This undermines the possibility that people will be able to engage fully in an informed democracy because they will not have equal access to information or will not be able to understand the information they receive. In this way their freedom is limited.
In this moment in time we need to focus on the rights of individuals more than property and monetary gain. We need to create a more equal and fair society where people’s opinions are actually heard and taken into account rather than overlooked because of their status as citizens. Marx’s idea will help in moving towards this type of society. I want to make clear that the ideas of Locke are still important because they have helped to set the basis for many parts of our society. However, as you have seen we have to make crucial changes to the world right now and I believe that it will only be achieved with the help of Marx’s teachings and ideas. If we keep looking at society as equal and fair, we are overlooking the rights of many of the citizens who are not part of the higher class. We have to make a choice to create a fairer society for all citizens.