What is the Civic Republicanism?

Civic Republicanism is a tradition of political thought which emphasises participation in civic and political life. It contrasts with the liberal tradition's focus on the individual pursuing his or her private interests and with the communitarian emphasis on the cultural community and shared identity. On its left, civic republicanism merges with radical democracy which proposes that not only should political life be participatory, but also that economic life should also be subject to democratic control and participatory 'management'. Civic republicans look to an idealised Greek city state in which all citizens participated equally in the affairs of the 'polis'. Contemporary civic republicans would seek to broaden the citizenry by moving barriers of class, gender etc. The key to citizen participation in ancient Greece was freedom for the citizens from want and unnecessary labour. However, this depended on the labour of others, including slaves. In the modern world, the problem is how to create the social and economic conditions that would allow the vast majority the freedom to participate in political life. The most well-known of modern civic republicans, Hannah Arendt, saw workers' councils as the basis of such a polity.