The Republican ‘Moment’ of Marx’s Theory of Democracy: From the Critique of Politics to the Theory of the Rational State

Abstract

This chapter relates to the republican ‘moment’ of Marx’s theory of democracy and covers the period in which Marx developed his theoretical activity as the editor of Rheinische Zeitung (1842–43). I support the argument that Marx’s articles in Rheinische Zeitung constitute elements of Marx’s portrait, not as a liberal but as a republican theorist of democracy. Considering the influence exerted on the republican Marx by the writings of Bauer, Ruge and Feuerbach, I draw the conclusion that the ‘republican moment’ of the Marxian theory of democracy denoted a crucial step towards the socialisation of politics as the equivalent of the demos’ self-determination. Thus, I conclude, Marx was preparing the ground for his defence of ‘true democracy’, the most radical expression of his pre-communist theory of democracy, as conceived in his Critique of Hegel’s Theory of Right.