Repressive Tolerance by Herbert Marcuse. Short summary

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Marcuse introduces the concept of «repressive tolerance. In his view, bourgeois society merely uses opposition to prove the democratic nature of an order that is not.

1 minute

Marcuse introduces the concept of «repressive tolerance. Modern bourgeois society could not tolerate any opposition capable of harming its foundations. Opposition was used by it as proof of the democratic character of the existing social order.

Social institutions were forced to look for more sophisticated ways to get rid of the opposition without contradicting the laws. If opposition that posed a threat emerged, it would be harshly suppressed by undemocratic means. The New Left in the 1960s believed that provocation and violence could reveal the real nature of the system.

When it responds with aggression and repression, the system reveals itself as «fascist. If the choice of protest methods is wrong, the opposition still has no chance of winning, but if the regime’s response has been as expected, the opposition is on the right track.