‘True Democracy’ as a Prelude to Communism, 1st ed. 2018 The Marx of Democracy Political Philosophy and Public Purpose Series

This book constitutes a critical intervention in the theoretical discussion over the political relationship between democracy and communism. Shedding light on the philosophical origins of the democracy debate, it draws a clear demarcation line between liberalism and republicanism, arguing that after rejecting the former and supporting the latter, the young Marx endorsed 'true democracy' as a prelude to his forthcoming theory of communism. To this end, while following the dynamics of the Marxian history of political ideas and pre-communist theory of the state, the book takes into account the thought of a vast range of philosophers and political theorists, starting from the Ancient times (Aristotle), passing through the Age of Enlightenment (Spinoza, Rousseau), the German Idealist tradition (Hegel) the Young Hegelians? Republicanism (Bauer, Ruge, Feuerbach), and reaching our own times (Arendt, Colletti, MacPherson, Castoriadis, Poulantzas). It will be of interest to students and scholars interested in the history of political thought, theories of democracy, and Marxism. 

CHAPTER 1: Themes and Methodological Delimitations.- CHAPTER 2: The Philosophical “Moment” of Marx’s Theory of Democracy: From the Metaphysics of Law to the Critique of Politics.- CHAPTER 3: The Republican “Moment” of Marx’s Theory of Democracy: From the Critique of Politics to the Theory of the Rational State.- CHAPTER 4: The Dialectical “Moment” of Marx’s Theory of Democracy: From the Theory of the Rational State to “True Democracy”.- CHAPTER 5: The Sovereignty of the Demos as “True Democracy”.- CHAPTER 6: Theoretical Conclusions and Political Perspectives.

Alexandros Chrysis is Professor of Philosophy of History at Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Greece.