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Civic Society

The term first used in the 18th century by pre-Marxian philosophers for social and, more narrowly, for property relations. A substantial shortcoming of the theory of Civic Society propounded by the French and English materialists was that it failed to understand the dependence of Civic Society on the mode of production. It inferred the origin of Civic Society from the natural properties of man, from political tasks, forms of government and legislation, morality, etc.

Hegel used the term to imply a "system of requirements" based on private property, on property relations and relations of social estates, on the system of judiciary relations, etc. Although Hegel's views on Civic Society contain a few conjectures about the real laws of social development, they are generally wrong. Hegel's idealism comes to the surface in that he regards Civic Society as dependent on the state, which he holds to be the true form of the objective spirit, with Civic Society being only the "ultimate" form of the spirit.

Marx uses the term and concept of Civic Society in his early works; in particular, he uses it in 1843 in his critique of Hegel. By Civic Society Marx understands the family, estate and class organisation, property relations, forms and methods of distribution, and, in general, all the conditions which ensure the existence and functioning of society, the conditions of the actual life and activity of man. He stresses their objective nature and economic basis. Subsequently, Marx replaces this insufficiently clear term with strictly scientific concepts (economic structure of society, economic basis, mode of production, etc.).