关键词: ］真正的民主制, 人, 中介, 等级, 社会

Abstract: The concept of “true democracy” is Karl Marxs first political proposal, which arises from his examination of Hegel's thought in Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right in 1843. While Marx and Hegel share important similarities in addressing issues of the separation of civil society and the political state, with the aim to overcome the atomization of modern society, their differences lie in whether this goal can be achieved through intermediary mechanisms. Hegel believes that people are ignorant and atomistic, and thus establishes the“system of mediation” illuminated by the Estates; however, Marx argues that people themselves are universal, which means the intermediary mechanisms as such are neither complete nor necessary, and thus proposes the idea of “true democracy”. This is Marx's attempt to surpass the paradigm of the separation between civil society and the political state. Despite its limitations, the positive perspective on the relationship between individuals and the state it implied not only serves as the theoretical basis for Marx's later exploration of the future society, but also provides an opportunity for him to turn to the study of civil society in the next step.

Key words: true democracy, people, mediation, the Estates, society