J.S. Mill’s Views on Democracy after 1848

Abstract

In his philosophical anthropology Mill assimilated a moderate form of capitalist values. Viewed from the perspective of class, this made it impossible for him to fully applaud socialism and democracy. Many commentators confuse these two terms and, as a result, do not understand that Mill tried to promote working class interests and its social power only to the extent that they would not assail the foundations of the capitalist mode of production. Contrary to these mainstream interpretations, in this article I emphasize that Mill’s views on democracy are strongly connected to the value-laden content that the capitalist mode of production contributes to exploitation, liberty and equality. As such, Mill was not a democrat but instead was afraid of a fully fledged democratic system because it would lead to socialism.