Authors: Lipset
Summary: This approximately 2700 word entry defines Marxism, discusses the derivative nature of democracy in Marxist theory, analyzes the expansion of voting rights and Marxist revisionism, considers the failure of evolutionary Marxism, and concludes with a look at Marxism in Russia.
The entry defines Marxism as an economic, political and social body of thought by Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels. Because these two men were primarily concerned with achieving social welfare and just resource distribution rather than the political procedures to achieve this goal, their theories curiously neglect any comprehensive discussion of democracy. The nature of Marxist theory itself is to blame for some of this neglect, and the entry explains why this is so. Equally important, however, is the lack of universal franchise at the time Marx and Engles wrote. Franchise expansion at the end of the nineteenth century significantly altered previous political patterns and prompted Marxist scholars to begin applying their theories to governmental forms and procedures. These scholars also began faulting democracy for prohibiting socialist transformation. The entry introduces some of these scholars, including Gramsci, Lukacs, and Luxemburg.
The experiences in Eastern Europe, particularly Russia, are significantly different than those described above, especially in regard to democracy. Russia remained a police state until well into the 20th century, and Russian Marxists did not agree about the best way to bring about desired change. Lenin believed that the western path of socialism through democracy was impossible for Russia. Stalin turned Lenin's theories into reality by imposing a ruthless, oppressive, antidemocratic, totalitarian police state. In some ways, the Soviet Union best exemplified the Marxist state, but its total suppression of human rights extinguished all democratic freedom, equality and justice.