Political Science · Western Political Thought
Which of the following is Not true of Marx's view of the state?
AThe proletariat will need to capture state power
BThe state is an unnecessary evil and should wither away
CThe capitalist State helps reproduce the social structure needed to maintain capitalism ✓ Correct
DThe state is an instrument of class exploitation and protects the interests of the capitalist class
Correct answer: (C) The capitalist State helps reproduce the social structure needed to maintain capitalism — The statement that the capitalist state reproduces the social structure of capitalism reflects the structuralist view, not Marx's own.
Explanation
★The statement that the capitalist state reproduces the social structure of capitalism reflects the structuralist view, not Marx's own.
★Classical Marx held an instrumentalist view, that the state is a tool wielded by the ruling class.
★The structuralist view, developed by Althusser and Poulantzas, sees the state as serving capitalism by its structure.
★Marx himself called the state the executive committee of the bourgeoisie, an instrument of class rule.
★He held that the proletariat must first capture state power in the revolution.
★After the classless society arrives, the state would wither away as no longer needed.
★So only the structuralist reproduction claim is not Marx's own classical position.
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