The role of the state

Lew Lew at dialogues.demon.co.uk
Mon Oct 19 14:35:16 PDT 1998


In article <19981016202934.7945.qmail at hotmail.com>, Randy Stone <stonerandy at hotmail.com> writes


>Has anyone studied the conflict between Marx and Bakunin around the
>IWMA? I understand that Marx moved the headquarters to New York City to
>get around the anarchists in the IWMA. In other words, rather than let
>Bakuninists take over the IWMA, he shut down the show.

Marx moved the motion, but it was the General Council of the IWMA which decided to move the seat of the General Council to New York in 1872. The IWMA was dissolved by the General Council in Philadelphia in 1876.

In article <4.0.1.19981016180709.00dce3e0 at popmail.lmu.edu>, James Devine <jdevine at popmail.lmu.edu> writes


>I interpret Marx's bit about the withering away of the state as
>referring to the end of the separation -- the alienation -- of the people
>from the state and the end of the domination of the former by the latter.
>That is, the perfection of democracy.

Engels used the phrase withering away of the state; Marx used the more logically succinct "abolish" in this context. You may interpret Engels or Marx's statements as the end of the separation of people from the state, but there is no evidence that this is what Marx or Engels meant. In fact, the evidence from both strongly suggests that post-capitalist will be stateless. -- Lew



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list