Abolish Anti-Semitism In On The Jewish Question By Karl Marx

The quotation above addresses the notion of separation of the state from civil society and of civil society from the state and the issues with political emancipation. As Marx says at the beginning of the quote, when the state attempts to suppress the existence of private property and other forms of inequality from which people wish to be freed, it inadvertently confirms its own existence. It is important to understand that, when politics separates itself from civil society, or private property in this case, it does not get rid of private property altogether. The state simply becomes greatly removed from the aspects of everyday life, and, individual citizens becomes of equal status in relation to the state. This, according to Marx, is what political emancipation is and why it will not abolish anti-Semitism. From political emancipation simply comes the lack of political restraint on civil society and other

Bauer’s argument, in short, is that anti-Semitism exists in Germany because the state is Christian, and as long as the state is Christian it will discriminate against the Jews. Thus, it is necessary to separate the state and the church to achieve political emancipation and abolish anti-Semitism. Marx, however, responds to this argument by bringing up the fact that the United States has full political emancipation, yet religion still exists and is quite prevalent, which means anti-Semitism still exists in a society in which the state and church are separated. Thus, there is a difference between political emancipation, which Bauer brings up, and human emancipation, which Marx believes is what is necessary, yet at the same time is currently impossible in today’s society. This difference is what Marx addresses in the above quote and explains why political emancipation is not