On Marx's Civil Society Theory

The problem of civil society is a practical issue that is constantly changing and developing. In the western philosophy history, the civil society thought has experienced a long evolution, in which Marx's civil society theory plays a tremendous role. By critically inheriting the theory achievement of predecessors, Marx initiated the tradition that interpreted the civil society by economic characters, and explained scientifically the relationship between the civil society and the political state, thus formed the modern civil society theory. In the process of deeply researching, the scientific conception of history was founded by Marx. The civil society has an important function in the formation of the whole Marx's theory system. In his works, the concept of the civil society has multiple meanings. The thesis will attempt to make all-round analysis on the concept of Marx's civil society, then discuss the theory systematically, and explore its great meanings both in theory and in reality.First of all, the thesis explores the origin of Marx's civil society theory. Before Marx, the development of the civil society theory mainly had two phrases: the high-integration of the civil society and the political state in traditional sense, and the dual division of the civil society and the political state in modern sense. Both theories offered the thought basis for Marx's study of the civil society. And Hegel's civil society theory became the direct source of Marx's civil society thought. On the basis of that, the thesis then focuses on studying and analyzing Marx's civil society theory deeply. Marx gave new meanings of the civil society concept by inheriting Hegel's theory critically. With the thought developing and the research field changing, the meanings of the civil society concept that Marx understood are different. By analyzing Marx's statements, we consider that the concept of Marx's civil society has three meanings. Which meaning was used is determined by the need of the questions that Marx interpreted and solved. Mastering these meanings is the key to understand the concept of Marx's civil society. Marx's civil society theory explained scientifically the relationship between the civil society and the political state. He proposed that the civil society was the foundation of the political state, and the former determined the latter. Then it was on the conclusion that he accomplished the transformation to the materialist conception of history.The study of the civil society has great significance in the foundation of the historical materialism. Through criticizing philosophy of the civil society, Marx came to the conclusion opposed to Hegel's: It was not the state that determined the civil society, but the civil society determined the state, and thus achieved the germ of the materialist conception of history. Analyzing the civil society from the point of view of political economics set up a series of fundamental principles of historical materialism, and then Marx established the materialist conception of history entirely. There is an original relation between the materialist conception of history and Marx's civil society theory. On the basis of the civil society theory, materialism was formed and developed, but it succeeded and transcended the civil society theory. The foundation of materialist conception of history has great influence on the study of the civil society.Marx's civil society theory has great effect on the western field of the theory, and has caused a new ring discussions and hot problems. We should, under the guidance of historical materialism, comment on the western civil society theory correctly and give impetus to the study of the civil society, so it can be beneficial to the boom of our social science and the development of socialism modernization. In the end, the thesis has discussed these questions.