Theories of the State: Marx & Weber

It is a generally accepted proposition that, despite the voluminous works he left behind, Karl Marx himself never developed a specific theory of the state. His writings, however, gave numerous indications of his thoughts on the matter and, as expected, those ruminations revolve around the division between capital and labor - and class distinctions inherent in that division. The fact that Marx did not specify his theory of the state has consequently led to several different "Marxist" interpretations of the state, both as a matter of theoretical consideration - and as a result of the changing face of the state, capital and labor themselves. Vladimir Lenin, taking the activist stan

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basic foundation of American democracy that whichever party is in power will shape the destiny of the state. Both mainstream parties base their appeals to the electorate on the assumption that they can make fundamental changes in the system and its apparatus - without changing the essential nature of the liberal democracy itself. In recent years, moreover, there has been a decidedly ideological instrumentalist argument thrust before the American public - albeit in terms of threat to the capitalist orientation of the state. In the electoral strategy devised by Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Republican Party rhetoric has very clearly stated that the opposing political party, the Democrats, threaten to eliminate the "merit-based opportunities" of America and replace it with a "liberal welfare state." In instrumentalist terms, Mr. Gingrich recognizes the class nature of the American state and is using the state's apparatus to demonize his opponents by making them appear a threat to democracy. His analysis of the electorate is that most voters do not believe in the pluralist theory that the state is neutral, nor do they particularly care to recognize that there is empirical evidence that an economic elite of 1% controls 40%
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Some common words found in the essay are:
American Revolution, Capitalist Society, Ralph Millibrand, Nevertheless Weber, Nature Weber, , Republican Party, Karl Marx, Roman Empire, Taylor Leninist, national violence, empirical evidence, political process, instrumentalist approach, marxist theory, empirical evidence available, intrinsically capitalist, liberal democracy, nonlegitimate violence, outside forces, evidence available,
Approximate Word count = 1849
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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