The Character Of Freedom |
The Character Of Freedom
A free society cannot survive when its citizens surrender the responsibilities that make freedom possible.
Luis Gonzalez | November 8, 2026
Communism and the American constitutional tradition both depend on human character. The difference is what they expect from it.
Marx envisioned a classless society in which the state would eventually wither away. Once class distinctions disappeared, political authority would supposedly become unnecessary. It was an ambitious vision of human social organization. It is a magnificent theory, provided one ignores human nature.
History has been considerably less accommodating. Governments established in communism’s name have repeatedly produced powerful ruling elites, entrusted with the authority to distribute wealth, direct labor, and decide what is best for everyone else. The promised disappearance of privilege gave way to its institutionalization. The road to a classless society has a peculiar habit of passing through a very privileged neighborhood, where the ruling class enjoys privileges unavailable to everyone else.
The problem is not difficult to identify. Concentrate enough power in the hands of a political elite, and eventually that elite discovers reasons to keep it. The people who promised to abolish class distinctions have proved remarkably successful at establishing one of their own.
The American Founders approached the problem from an altogether different direction. James Madison captured their understanding of human nature in Federalist No. 51: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.”
The Founders were not in the business of finding angels. They understood........