In Marxian terms, democracy in Uruguay has become a superstructural ideology that conceals the neocolonial economic base. In this country, the myth of democracy persists, but also why it is so hard to dislodge: it serves the dual function of legitimizing class domination and protecting national self-image. The class rooted in land rent has adapted, using global capital, ESG branding (e.g., green energy), and democratic discourse to remain hegemonic.

The people, lacking control over the means of production or territory, cling to the illusion of civic empowerment as a substitute for material power. The belief in democratic superiority acts as a psychic shield: it helps neutralize the discomfort of dependency. It becomes easier to believe in the myth of exemplary citizenship than to confront the material reality of economic dispossession. Uruguay celebrates its sovereignty and institutional strength; while its land base, ports, energy, and logistics are increasingly controlled by foreign capital.

In Uruguay, democracy is fetishized as civic performance (peaceful transitions, elections, rule of law), while real class power is untouched. This is false consciousness in its classical sense: the people believe they are equal political subjects, while economic power remains heavily concentrated and structured around land-based accumulation. This means the productive base is subordinated to rentier logic. The state, meanwhile, acts as guarantor of this regime through infrastructure (like Ferrocarril Central) and concessions (ports, tax exemptions)

Across this country, vast tracts of productive land are rented or owned by absentee landowners, many of them foreign capital holders (e.g., Argentine, Brazilian, European pension funds, or even UPM-style corporate holdings). Land does not function as a commodity of development, but as a store of value and mechanism of extraction.