capitalist state

capitalist state

(MARXISM) the form of STATE in capitalist society which, according to some versions of Marxism, operates predominantly in the interests of CAPITALISM, contributing directly to its reproduction. For Miliband (1966), for example, any apparent PLURALISM in the state institutions and political representation within capitalist societies can be discounted, since the fundamental fact remains that state institutions reproduce capitalism (see also RULING CLASS). Against this, however, it is evident that the form of the state in capitalist societies varies widely, differing according to the specific institutional forms of the connections between the economy, CIVIL SOCIETY, and the state, and that these different kinds of state -liberal-democratic, totalitarian-fascist, etc. – have major social and economic significance. See also LIBERAL DEMOCRACY, TOTALITARIANISM.