Artigo



Dados vol. 24 n. 3 Rio de Janeiro 1981

As Três Democracias e o Marxismo dos Contemporâneos

Martins, Carlos Estevam

Resumo

This article is based on the verification that the concept of democracy has held a great variety of meanings in the course of the history of western thought. Hence, among other things, the need for a concentrated and intense effort of reflection, whose objective would be to produce more precise classifications and more satisfactory conceptual clarifications. In order for such a debate to take place in a generalized manner, it is indispensable that Marxists - and Anarchists - participate in it under conditions equal to those of other streams of contemporary thinking, that is, by accepting the challenge presented by the multiple alternative conceptions of the democratic regime. Despite certain recent developments, such as that represented by the Euro-communist stream, Marxists in general refuse to take part in the mentioned debate, inasmuch as they believe themselves to be the holders of a conception that is unique, scientific and final, because it is induced by the very movement of history: the conception of proletarian democracy. This article aims at destroying this assumption. It analyzes proletarian democracy with the objective of demonstrating that it is untenable as a proposal for the democratic organization of political life. The analysis concludes that proletarian democracy, rather than assuring the principle of popular sovereignty, as the classic Marxists assumed, in actuality outlines a totalitarian kind of regime. Once the demonstration of this thesis has been accepted, it is possible to infer that contemporary Marxism is forced to present a new conception of democracy, not to be confused either with those emanating from bourgeois thought, or with that established by the classical Marxists. This "third" democracy (hence the title of the article) would be the specific contribution expected from contemporary Marxism: the former would justify the latter both as Marxism and as contemporary.

Texto completo

As Três Democracias e o Marxismo dos Contemporâneos