- Acc to Marxists, State is a part of superstructure, a reflection of base. And since base(means of economic production) are controlled by the capitalists, the state too is controlled by the capitalists.
- Engels in his book origin of family, pvt property and state has given Force theory- state not a result of social contract but forced upon the weak by the strong.
- Instrumentalists
- (derived from communist manifesto) call state as executive committee of the capitalist class, i.e. for implementing its decisions and say neutrality of state is false consciousness . Since state is a class institution workers cannot expect justice out of it. Hence Marxists believe in a stateless society.
- based on historical materialism(class struggle). Lenin : the existence of state represents irreconcilability of class conflict.
- Friedrich Engels said - when freedom exists, there will be no state.
- Marx
- Lenin- state represents irreconcilability of the class conflict.
- Ralph Miliband-book: state in a Capitalist society: says welfare state is a myth and wealth is still in the hands of few.
- Structuralists
- It came as a criticism to Instrumentalist school
- As they focus on super structure hence called structuralists.
- Say state is a part of superstructure and it is not just an instrument of capitalists but capitalists too need state to preserve capitalism.
- Also called as relative autonomy theory, relative because in normal condition state appears neutral but in times of crisis it favours propertied class.
- They maintain that when the state does not benefit the bourgeois class' short-term interests to appear neutral to the proletariat , it is acting on the behalf of its future interests.
- Accordingly, when the state seems to act on behalf of the proletariat rather than the bourgeoisie (raising minimum wages, increasing rights of workers' unions, etc.) it is serving capitalist interests by meeting the demands of workers only enough to prevent an uprising that could threaten the system as a whole.
- This view inspired from the18th Brumaire of Napoleon Bonaparte by Marx in which he gave concept of Bonapartism, i.e. executive(govt) is strongest in the state.
- too strong to be controlled by the legislature, judiciary, and capitalists themselves.
- when feudal class, capitalists, both are strong and workers are well organised, then no group is able to fully control the state. They fight against each other and hence the state gets bargaining power, hence state gains relative autonomy.
- Relative because in times of crisis it has to come and save the capitalists (link it with deformed Polyarchy). Like in 2008 crisis, the democrat govt rescued the bankers while the deposits of common people were lost. Protests in WB against nano plant, the protesters were lathi charegd by the communist govt of West Bengal.
- exponents:
- Marx
- Gramsci- says civil society makes the state appear autonomous from the capitalists but in reality it is not.
- Althusser- ideological state apparatus and coercive state apparatus.
4- Nicos Poulantzas - book- political power and social classes.
- Being a structural Marxist he awarded more importance to the elements of superstructure.
- Explains that in a pluralist society, there are diff social groups in a constant state of conflict.
- The state wants to cohere all the factions together which couldn't be achieved without the neutral stand of the state.
- Says state needs to achieve equilibrium and cannot be instrument of particular class at all times.
- Because Of universal adult franchise the poor have got vote and hence the political parties have to offer something to every section of the society and since poor are in majority hence the state has no other choice but to become relatively autonomous from the capitalist class and become welfarist.
- James Burnham gave the concept of managerial revolution, there is a shift in the decision making power from the capitalist class to the managerial class, a class of managers that anyone can join.
- Ralph Miliband- rejects this. Says capitalist class has made MBA requisite for it and MBA so costly that only rich can afford it and become managers hence power is still effectively in hands of managers who come from the elite class. it is rare that sons and daughters of the lower class can join this managerial class
- Conclusion: write garner’s statements.
- Side note for conceptual clarity-