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This article explores the content and ambitions of “radical democracy” through a comparison of its theoretical construction in the work of two of its originale thinkers: Chantal Mouffe and Miguel Abensour. What justifies this comparison is a curious parallel in the way both authors developed the concept. They opted to define “radical democracy” negatively through a critique of Marxism. The goal of this comparison is twofold. First, we highlight that, beyond this similarity, the inner logics of their respective critique differ widely. Whereas Chantal Mouffe advocates for radical democracy to break free from the rigidness and the determinacy of Marxism, Miguel Abensour goes back to a text of the young to emphasize its intriguing reference to a “real democracy”. Second, we show that these theoretical choices have important political consequences and lead to contrasted assessments of the triangular relation between democracy, State, and conflict.