Liberal Democracy at the time of Marx supported parliamentary government, but then as now, the big influences dominated. However as Churchill said "Its the worst system except all the others"
The Precursor and succesor to Communism: "Liberal Democracy"
Communism : What was it?
1. The evolution of Communism from a Utopian paradise into a repressive system of Government.
Anger at Injustice & Arrogance & Greed & Brutality
Examples of revolutionary threads pointing towards the awareness of the danger of the plutocracy of the propertied classes and merchants dominating governance.
Adam Smith:
Thomas Jefferson
Phase 2: The conception of a utopia: A more efficient system of production dedicated to the common good.
Phase 3: The practical means of achieving these ends could only be achieved through mass action (including violence.?)
Phase 4: Safeguarding the revolution: The fall of Communism as an ideology more attractive than liberal democracy.
Communism is supposed to be a road map to anarchy (an-archos greek without ruler/s)
When humanity is sufficiently evolved to as Ron Paul says "Take Care Of Themselves".
The ultimate goal is the withering away of the State.
Now let us roll back the clock in our minds to the turn of the 20th century before Communism crystalized as being run by violent ruthless though often brilliant (Stalin the worst mass murderer in history other than Chingis Khan was brilliant.
The vast majority of European society is severely oppressed. Here in the US labor demonstrations involves killing and bombing by thugs hired by corporations. Its before even the reforms of Theodeor Roosevelt (R) and William Howard Taft (R)
In the rest of the World the situation is worse. Asia, Africa and the Americas are in various degrees of colonization from extremely pressurized and partly occupied - to near total inadvertant and deliberate genocide (American Indians).
People vote with their feet. And The suffering wretched masses did yearn for a place like America. The Nation State did not guarantee anything. The feudal system were the lord was to protect and provide for in conjunction with his vassals.
Karl Marx lived in England and studied the plight of the agrarian workers , the tenant farmers of Britain. Peasants.
Ron Paul is the leader of the Libertarian movement which is largely in the Republican party. He doesn't care about labels much - so I will not apologize for using the libertarian movement to demonstrate what type of world Karl Marx conceptualized. Unfortunately the incredible level of anger people felt when they thought of liberty vs the systems they lived in controlled by priveledged classes with police forces and little justice. This vision was a straight forward conclusion that those in power would not give up peacefully.