Essay on "Marx and Madison Research Shows"

Essay 4 pages (1346 words) Sources: 2 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

" Obviously Madison was definitely talking about England nevertheless his point was that the same would occur here and that is why he went on to mention, "Landholders have to have a share in the government, to fund these invaluable interests, and to balance and check the other (Gay).

In critique, it is a possibility that Madison predicted what Marx would say sixty years later: "The proletarian can free himself only by abolishing private property in general when it comes to political parties representing social classes." (Marx)

Here I do want to mention that I believe that Marx was only partly correct and that I do come in agreement with folks like Michael Albert and Robin Hahnel who have said there is more to class than just relationships to the revenues of production. However, Albert put it politely when he mentioned that, "Marxism's class-oriented leftism was very good on ownership relations. There is no denying that" (Leon). However, when it comes to being clear, the "democracy" we live in is not really considered to be our democracy. According to Madison, it belongs to the rich, also known as the ruling class or the Lords of Capital (Magstadt). Madison believed that it is theirs and they have been kind enough to let us choose from the pre-chosen choices to make certain their "priceless interests" are sheltered from the multitude that, if assumed authentic democracy, would render it "self-doubting." I.e. we would put an end to their Class War. This faux-democracy is a restraint that binds people to their interests.

The solution of this issue, which offered itself to Madison in the appearance of a question of suffrage, involved, on the other hand, the financial question: What should be done with that class that is looked at as being unfavored, who, toiling in desperate poverty, -- slaves in actual fact, if not in name -- would constitute the majority of the body social? (Magstadt)This question Madison projected, but ineffectively labored to discover in the numerous approaches of checks and balances an answer that was either satisfactory to the helpless emergency, or suitable to his judgment.

When it came to Madison, he chose to exclude the class without property from the right of suffrage which he promptly rejected. To confine the right of suffrage for one branch of the legislature to those with, and for the other branch to those without property, he likewise set aside as a regulation calculated to lay the foundation for contests and antipathies not dissimilar to those between the plebeians and patricians at Rome (Leon). And again, he shrewdly detected dangers lurking in a mixture of the two classes in both branches.

Madison was able to recognize the danger of political parties representing social classes and then went a step further by identifying its source: "The most hard-wearing and common source of factions has been the different and insufficient delivery of property. Those who hold and those who are without property have ever molded separate benefits in society." (Gay) Madison solution was to produce a large republic surrounding a great variety of parties and interests unlike Marx.

In conclusion, if it is even possible to restore the Madisonian idea of a commercial republic that is decent in this nation, one which is maintainable and morally secure, the tycoons and the conservative commentariat that serves them so submissively will have to do something they find enormously unpleasant. They will have to admit that in order for the system to sustain, much less flourish, Madison really needs Marx when it comes to political parties representing the social classes.

Works Cited

Gay, Sydney Howard. "James Madison." New York City: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013. 1-166.

Leon, Daniel De. James Madison and Karl Marx. New York City: New York Labor News, 2007.

Magstadt, Thomas. Inequality or Sustainablity? Why Madison Needs Marx. 16 May 2012. http://www.nationofchange.org/inequality-or-sustainability-why-madison-needs-marx-1337223969. 18 November 2013.

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