The State and Emancipation

Sept 4, 2007 HSS 201 Lecture 4 Karl Marx

The Mode of Production--> Relation of production, production forces, Contradiction between class; class consciousness and class antagonisms which leads to revolution in the end.

Revolution products the New mode of production

Mode of production decides the structure and superstructure which constitutes political, legal and social.

In Marxist sociology, the economic and political are closely linked.

State, Emancipation, future society

Reading “on the Jewish question”

1834-1844

Jews were demanding religious emancipation
Bruno Bauer thinks that the state should not adapt any religion, to be neutral, so that Jews will not be discriminated. He argued for political emancipation, to end the discrimination against Jews, the states must cease to be Christian (no discrimination)

This seems very impressive, but not enough for Marx

Here Bauer’s fault lies in the fact that he subjects only Christian State to his critique, not “state as such”, a type of a state. That he does not investigate the relationship of the state of human. The secular state does not mean that religion will disappear.

Getting rid of religion from the political sphere is not enough. That shows that existence of religion does not contradict /impede the perfection of state.

Note: the attitude of the man who makes up the state to religion, if existence of religious is the existence of a defect, what is the source of this defect?

The nature of the state?

Man’s dual personality in modern state:

1. Communal social aspect- coincide with universalism of the state
• Communal and universalism of the state
• At the level of constitutes, and discover a citizenship, right and duties and stake in state.

2. Every life in civil society, individuals living in isolation from one another, in competition among themselves in civil society, the separation of man into a public and private man, (dual personality)

Man is leading a double life, he has a life both political community where he is active as a private individual treats other man as means, degrades himself to a mean too. Social citizen and competitive, individuals, e.g. Jewish, He has a life both in political and plaything of alien power.

Political emancipation of religion
The decomposition oneself from religious (JQ 47)

Marx’s analysis of “state”
• Above the economic structure, the official stratum of society
• The legal and political superstructure, the political, economic etc
• State arises upon conflicts material interest already existing in the relation of production
• Reason: if there is no conflict, then there is no need for any legal political superstructure to preside over the economic structure.

Marx’s criticism
• Modern state presuppose a gap between sates and civil society (economic realm)
• Institutions to fill this gap
• These institutes were in fact cloaks for particular interests in civil society.
• Institutions are in fact cloaks for people with vested interests

Bureaucracy: - most essential parts of state apparatus
The ruling class absorb the people into bureaucracy, it become caste: through higher education, claimed monopoly in interpreting state interests, self-perpetuating
Bureaucratic procedures give the impression that the state works fro general interests of society, i.e. it embodies universal principles, but in actual fact, the state, captured by ruling class, bourgeoisie, apparatus is held by the dominant class in society.
The ruling class, in the state, needs ideology to convince and conceal.

Ideology- to convince and to conceal

To convince the mass that the state is neural and but in fact
To conceal the fact that the state actually acts to preserve, exiting relations of production, and the masses that the state is neutral and universal character.

The State has limited autonomy: because its aims cannot be fully achieved,
E.g., French and American civil revolution, which was sought to emancipation man as political citizen but to Marx, man is still enslaved to civil society, i.e. by the economic production; enslaved by the capitalist mode of production. Through the abolition of the states the dual personality will be abolished too.

Abolishment and dualism

Solution must be found beyond the state. The state must be transcended, social revolution is needed.

“One Jews question” Marx is criticising Bruno’s idea and political emancipation, which is reduction of man, (member of civil society and citizen of moral person) is not enough, social revolution needed.

If the alienation is not resolved, then there is no emancipation.

Marx thinks the state is not neutral. Marx was the dualism of man’s personality to be resolved to transcend the state.

How will social revolution and real emancipation to be accomplished?

• The important concept of Praxis- the unity of correct understanding the theory and practice (both are important)
• Praxis: combining analysis of internal working and capitalism, human agency, class consciousness. That requires philosophical work and human agency.
• Revolutionaries reality through social action: Thesis XI: “philosophers only interpret the world, the points is to change it”
• Revolution must be based on an adequate group of the situation, understanding how capitalist system works.

Marx’s analysis of the internal mechanism of capitalism provided the adequate theoretical understanding of the system (theory); needs to be combined to the practical part to associations (practice)

Importance of associations: workers create bonds among themselves in the process, changing reality and creation of class consciousness. That is why capitalist states fear the unions, often to oppress them.

Revolution Praxis: the unity of theory and Practice: - embodying an objective and subjective elements.
• The need to be theoretically informed so as to take action
• Need the right circumstance (economic crisis) and awareness, education on working class
• Proletariat has to be a class for itself, class consciousness

Success of revolution would not be achieved if it is confined to one country. It needs to build up working class parties around the world.

Transitional period: The dictatorship of proletarian
Dictatorship and violence only strictly temporary measures;
Non democratic societies: revolution will be violent,
Bourgeoisie society: revolution occurs through ballots; violence only if bourgeoisies restated to violence to go against the wishes of majority.

Transcendence and abolitions of the state
When class rule will have disappeared there will no longer be any state in the present sense of the world. If there is no class, there will not be a need for the state to exist.

Role of state in communism society:-
Exact nature: to be found scientifically, Marx did not give a blueprint.
In transitional period between capitalist and communist, society will be under dictatorship of proletariat, who will capture state power.

Future communist society (Marx did not want to forecast)- idealism that lack of concrete empirical class

Some features:
• Democratically elected government appointees, judges and administrators, police, appointments could be revoked at any time.
• Political officials paid according workers wages, to prevent political careerism
• System operates at all level of government, small hamlet, national legislature and executive

Tension between state and civil society: - double life of the citizen in a bourgeois state will be abolished, no private vs. public distinction, return of social man.

Man’s discovery of his species being: - communal creativities communism is the positive abolition of private property, and thus human self-alienation, therefore the real re-appropriation of human essence by and for man (EPM)

Marx Portrayal of communism:

1, man in touch with himself and fellow men , in turn with his species being.
2, all contradictions prevailed within capitalism resolved so communism a steady state? The ultimate system? End of history, since there are no class struggles any more?

Ownership of private property is the sort of class domination, therefore if the former is abolished, so is the latter.

Q: How can we understand Marx’s ideas in relation to our society now? The structure and superstructure?

How Marxism is operationalized has brought to many? Heaven on earth?
Marxist sociology and ideas continue to exert influence and inspired many people and social movement around the world.