Marxist Political Theory and the Evolution of Liberalism

Marxist Politics and Class Consciousness

In modern society, "bourgeois interests found ideological support" which emphasizes personal morality, hard work, individual success, self-control, frugality, and respect for law and property. The dominant ideology is "the ideas of the ruling class." As history moves and material conditions change, consciousness changes with them.

Modern material conditions include:

• Workers in modern, crowded factories in cities
• Literacy

These unintended consequences allowed the workers to "communicate among themselves" and develop a "true class consciousness." Marx thought politics was meant to control the state, and he believed the state was the instrument of organized violence in society. The role of the state in the economy is to establish the system of property. In ordinary times, politics involved a struggle to control the state "between members of the same class." On the other hand, in the modern era, capitalists prevail and win influence over the government.

The Evolution of Liberalism

Adam Smith wrote the book The Wealth of Nations, in which he discusses the term "invisible hand," which is essentially the laissez-faire principle. The "invisible hand" was a guide to the general good, and Smith thought liberalism meant "a new science of economics."

Liberalism split into two main streams:

• Stream A (Liberalism A): Led to Herbert Spencer's social evolutionism, which then led to today's economic liberalism with its free-market ideology. This stream is organized around the idea of the natural law of the market, the division of labor, and market exchanges, implying that all restraints on trade are unnatural.
• Stream B (Liberalism B): Started with utilitarianism (Jeremy Bentham), then John Stuart Mill denied the "invisible hand" and modified it, which created 20th-century liberalism (associated with President FDR). Today, this social and political liberalism is known as progressivism. The utilitarian wing believed in rational action, and its core principle is the "greatest good for the greatest number." John Stuart Mill attempted to correct social ills, and the welfare state came about through this modern philosophy of reform.

Both streams believed in:

• Representative government
• Rational individuals
• Civil liberties
• Religious tolerance
• Separation of church and state
• A minimum role for government
• Opposition to revolution

Herbert Spencer backed up the laws of nature and laissez-faire social stratification, which is produced by natural causes: the rich with talents at the top, and the poor with inherent deficiencies at the bottom.