Gore

[James Farmelant]

In  _The German Ideology_  Marx wrote about the 'separation
of powers' in terms of reflecting an equilibrium between 
contending classes or as he put it:  "For instance, in an age
and in a country where royal power, aristocracy and
bourgeoisie are contending for mastery and where,
therefore, mastery is shared, the doctrine of the separation
of powers proves to be the dominant idea and is expressed as an
"eternal law.""  Here, Marx's analysis is pretty much in
line with the analyses of classical political theorists
ranging from Aristotle and Polybius to Enlightenment
authors like Montesquieu except that Marx "historicized"
what earlier authors took to be an eternal principle.

The "separation of powers" in the US Constitution was
also justified by the Framers along similar lines drawing
especially from Montesquieu's  _The Spirit of the Laws_.
However, its real function and purpose and function cannot
be understood in those terms.  Interestingly enough the
Federalist Papers especially Paper #10 does direct us
to its true purpose.  There Madison discussed the necessity
of protecting the interests of minorities from the tyranny
of transient majorities.  From a close reading of Madison's
text it becomes apparent that the type of minority whose
interests he was concerned with protecting was the
wealthy classes -- i.e. the bourgeoisie, as Doug 
pointed out.  At some point the overturning of this
constitutional structure will have to become a priority
for progressives if they are serious about pursuing
radical change in the US.

		Jim Farmelant
On Sat, 12 Sep 1998 11:53:56 -0400 Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
writes:
>hoov wrote:
>
>>rightly or wrongly, M opposed separation of powers...he refers, in
>>*Crisis and Counter-Revolution*, to the 'worm-eaten theory of
>>division of powers'...moreover, he calls the theory 'old
>>constitutional folly' in *The Constitution of the French Republic*
>>and goes on to say that the 'condition of a free government is not
>>the division, but the unity of power.'
>
>And looking at the U.S., where the separation of powers is 
>sacroscanct,
>Marx is exactly right. That constitutional structure is one of the 
>reasons
>why there is no socialism in America, and the bourgeoisie rule with 
>minimal
>challenge.
>
>Except the bourgies seem in a mood to eat themselves right now...
>
>Doug
>
>
>
>

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