Marx's Communist Manifesto as Conservative Refutation of Mill's Liberalism

Core Interpretation: Your anthology frames Marx's work as a conservative refutation of Mill by:

• Positioning communism as restoring pre-capitalist communal bonds
• Viewing liberal individualism as socially disruptive
• Treating private property as a corrupting modern innovation

1. Foundational Values Conflict

John Stuart Mill (On Liberty)

Individual Liberty Focus:

• Highest good is non-interference by state/society
• "Harm principle" as only limit to freedom
• Economic inequality as natural outcome of merit

Karl Marx (Communist Manifesto)

Collective Equality Focus:

• Liberal freedom = illusion under capitalism
• True freedom requires economic emancipation
• Rejects private property as root of alienation

"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles."
— Marx & Engels, Communist Manifesto

2. Methodological Comparison

Dimension	Mill's Liberalism	Marx's "Conservative" Refutation
Social Change	Gradual reform through democratic processes	Revolutionary overthrow of bourgeoisie
State's Role	Minimal interference (rights protector)	Temporary "dictatorship of proletariat"
Human Nature	Rational self-interest driving progress	Inherently social beings corrupted by capitalism
Property	Guarantor of liberty	Theft and alienation (abolish private ownership)

3. Why Frame Marx as "Conservative"?

Anthology's Perspective

• Capitalism as disruptor: Breaks feudal/pre-modern communal ties
• Marx as restorer: Communism conserves humanity's cooperative essence
• Historical dialectic: Returns to communal foundations at higher stage

Controversial Labeling

While intellectually provocative, this framing faces challenges:

• Semantic tension: Marx's revolutionary praxis conflicts with Burkean conservatism
• Overlooked nuances: Both thinkers critique capitalism's alienating effects
• Mill's evolution: Later incorporated socialist elements like worker cooperatives

4. Philosophical Synthesis Attempts

Critical Insight: Marx's work functions as immanent critique - exposing liberalism's unfulfilled promises of universal freedom while rejecting its individualist foundations.

Modern Relevance:

• McManus's argument: Socialism requires liberal rights to avoid authoritarianism
• Fukuyama's "end of history": Updates Mill's liberal triumphalism post-Cold War
• Engels' Juridical Socialism: Explores Marx's ambivalence toward liberal legalism