John Lennon: Political Views and Beliefs

The late 1960’s to early 1970’s was a time of great debate over political decisions made in the world. These debates were often shared in various mediums. John Lennon used his platform as a musician to link his criticism on political matters and reflect his point of view into his music. Lennon’s hit song “Imagine” was not only successful for its great artistic flavor, but it was also successful for the heavy message it conveyed to the public.

The song was published in 1971 during a tumultuous time in history when human rights and anti-war protests were in hot debate.

Lennon made his opposition in the involvement of the U.S. and Vietnam war very clear through his own music and protest activities. In addition to the anti-war movement, Lennon conveyed what an ideal world would look like to him through the song “Imagine.” By analyzing his song “Imagine” and “Revolution,” it can be shown that Lennon had a combination of both a Marxist and liberalist view.

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According to Marxism, economics is a dominant factor that brings change into the world. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels developed the theory of Marxism in the 19th century in commitment to overthrow the capitalist system. Through the analysis of historical trends, Marx and Engels tried to demonstrate that the capitalist economic system could not last forever and was bound to collapse (Video lecture on Marxism, Anno). The theory emphasizes the class struggle between the Bourgeoisie (capitalists) and the Proletariats (working class) and how they were in conflict with each other.

The theory holds that one social class oppresses others. This eventually can cause a class to overthrow its oppressor class. Marxists believed that there would eventually break out into a revolt and the proletariat would eventually overthrow the capitalist oppressor to shift into a classless society. Lennon’s lyrics in “Imagine” reflect this theory of a classless society. He imagines a “life in peace” where there is “no need for greed or hunger...a brotherhood of man.” Lennon often claimed growing up in a working-class family as difficult. He was very aware of the politics of the social classes. In a way, Lennon was scarred by the English class system expressed through his public critiques. In 1966, Lennon criticized, “The class thing is just as snobby as it ever was. People like us break through a little - but only a little” (Johnson, 2010). This position was questioned by many as it was believed Lennon grew up in a rather higher working-class family than low. However, Lennon hoped that the lyrics to his music was for people like him in the working class, whether upper or lower, that could resonate to his experiences (Loss, 2016). In another line in “Imagine,” Lennon states “Imagine there’s no heaven...No hell below us...above us only sky...No religion too.” This again links to Marxists theory. Marx believed that religion is the opium of the masses (Video lecture on Marxism, Anno). He claimed that religion intoxicates people and makes it difficult for them to see reality for what it really is. The Marxist claim and Lennon's claim in imagining a world without religion shows another similarity in a Marxist point of view. The final line that ties Lennon and Marxism is the imagination of a world with no possessions. Marx believed “that private property should be replaced by cooperative ownership, with the emphasis placed entirely on satisfying human needs for consumption, rather than creating private profit. Under an ideal socialist international regime, societies would work together to ensure that basic human needs were met on a global scale (“Key Theories,” 2017). Through Lennon's imaginary lens of a perfect world of being without religion, possession and social class, we can say that he had some aspects of a Marxist view. The liberalist view can be quite complex as there are many aspects to it. The wide array of liberal principles includes limited government, individual rights (human and civil rights), democracy, freedom of speech, gender equality etc.

After the separation of The Beatles, Lennon became more publicly political through active protests and his music. Lennon had strongly suggested his opposition to the war between the U.S. and Vietnam. “Imagine” can be called an anti-war sentiment as it says, “Nothing to kill or die for...Living life in peace...and the world will live as one.” Although “Imagine” includes the idea of erasing the existence of countries, which is not a liberalist view, the main idea of ensuing peace throughout democracies is. The primary concern in war is the safety of its own citizens during the fight with foreign states. Liberalism limits military power as they “believe the negative consequences of force - such as economic losses and civilian casualties - far exceed its potential benefits” (“Key Theories,” 2017). Lennon does not condone the use of military force; this idea expressed in “Revolution” with “but when you talk about destruction, don’t you know that you can count me out?” Another aspect to Lennon reflecting a liberalist view is the act of engaging in a social conversation in order to make a change. In order to ensure individual dignity and freedom, politics need to operate on the basis of voluntary agreements amongst individuals through discussion and mutually agreed deals (Video lecture on liberalism, Anno). “Imagine” was an attempt to inspire people all over the world to communicate a vision of this utopian world he believed in. Lennon’s hopeful outlook is a far reach from other views such as realists. Realists have a more pessimistic standpoint in the hopes of humanity. Realists maintain the idea that conflict is unavoidable and improving international relations for the benefit of humanity is impossible (Video lecture on Realism, Anno). Lennon on the other hand uses his musical platform to stir discussion in an effort to promote peace. John Lennon is one of the world's most iconic musicians who has created an environment for social and worldly change through his music. He was passionate about conveying messages that supported peace, unity, equality and progress.

By analyzing Lennon’s lyrics in “Imagine” and “Revolution,” we can conclude Lennon had a combination of a Marxist and liberalist view in international politics. We can see Lennon's view on atheism, anti-social class system and anti-property describe a part of his Marxist political ideals. On the other hand, Lennon addresses liberal views by speaking on maintaining world peace and opening discussion for the possibility of mutual agreements. John Lennon was a political artist who had revolutionary influence in music and in politics.