1. Instrumental Marxism VS Structural Marxism
What do Marxists think the true role of the state in society is?
All Marxists agree that the state has a negative role in society, but
there are different views within Marxism as to exactly why this is
the case.
In 1970, Ralph Miliband and Nicos Poulantzas (both Marxists) had
a debate on the role of the state in New Left Review.

2. Instrumental Marxism: Ralph Miliband
Miliband offers a definition of the state by listing the
different institutions and groups that are part of it:
- Parliament
- Local government
- Police
- Military
- Judiciary
- Civil Service
- Cabinet and Prime Minister
Ralph Miliband argued that the state is basic a tool of the
ruling class – it does whatever they want it to.

3. Why does the state go along with this and carry out the wishes of
the ruling class?
Because those that run the state are drawn
from the same socio-economic group as the
ruling class.
Miliband cites, for example, the fact that between 1889 and 1949,
60% of US cabinet members were businessmen.
What other evidence do you know of that might also support this
claim? CLUE: think about the current cabinet.

4. The Structural View of the State:
Nicos Poulantzas
Miliband’s analysis of the state suggests that if working class people were
elected to run the state, perhaps it wouldn’t be so servile to the ruling class.
Poulantzas disagrees, saying that even if the state were run by workers, it
would still serve the interests of the ruling class. Why?
Because he says the structure of our society means the state has to serve the
ruling class – it has nothing to do with the individual personalities and
backgrounds of particular politicians.
Imagine at the next election, a group of radical left-wing politicians get elected.
According to Poulantzas, this wouldn’t change things much. He argues that
they would be forced to have policies that favoured the ruling class.

5. Imagine these scenarios. How might a Marxist respond to these?
1) What would happen if this new left-wing government introduced a new
minimum wage set at £20 per hour? What would many businesses do?
Relocate to other countries where it is cheaper to produce things. This is called
‘capital flight’. This would cause unemployment and potentially economic crisis.
2) What would happen if the government introduced very high welfare benefits
and increased public spending dramatically on education, hospitals, etc.?
It probably wouldn’t be able to afford these things as its only income is through
taxes and money it borrows.
3) What happens if governments borrow large amounts of money from
organisations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF)?
They only get these loans on condition that they reduce public spending on things
like hospitals and schools (many third world countries but also UK in the 1970s).
4) What if, despite all the above, they do manage to bring about real reform for
equality?
Another section of the state – namely the military – may overthrow the
government (e.g. Spain 1936, Chile 1973)

6. So: Poulantzas argues that no matter who is running the state, they cannot
really challenge the interests of the ruling class.
There is another element to his work on the state:
The ‘relative autonomy’ of the state.
By this he means the ability to act in a self-determining way, even if this
might displease some sections of the ruling class.
Poulantzas argues that, because the ruling class is actually divided into
different sections, it sometimes needs someone in the middle to resolve its
disputes and ensure the smooth continuation of capitalism. How can the
state do this?

7. 1) The state can make concessions to the working class to keep them ‘under
control’ (e.g. universal education, NHS). Some sections of the ruling class
might be against this because it is expensive but in fact it is necessary to
prevent rebellion against capitalism.
2) It might be best for the state to set interest rates: some bankers might want a
low interest rate to increase their profits, whilst some business owners might
want high interest rates to get good returns on their capital. The state can
resolve the dispute.
3) The state can introduce policies to keep the economy functioning smoothly.
For example, some governments increase public spending to create jobs and
wealth even if some sections of the ruling class are against this.

8. Write a sentence to illustrate the difference between Miliband's
and Poulantzas' view of the state.
Evaluate the overall Marxist ideas of power.
Look at p.78 (of Pilkington) and say which of the points made
in ‘Marxist Theories – Evaluation’ are valid and which are not.