20
PARTISAN REVIEW
characteristic of left-wing movements as of those they oppose, and
contribute not a little to obscuring judgment.
In order to indicate the cutting edge of this approach, I shall
apply
it
to some propositions in the Marxian theory of the state.
The discussion will take us a long way and will bear directly on
the disputed question as to whether Russia today is "a workers'
state." I must apologize for the appearance of pretentiousness in
discussing these important questions by way of illustration. The fol–
lowing remarks are offered not as definitive solutions but as sugges–
tions.
Let us begin with a proposition of Marx in the
Manifesto.
"The
modern state power is nothing more than a committee for administer–
ing the common affairs of the bourgeoisie as a whole." The statement
presupposes that we know the oefining characteristics of the state
power and the bourgeoisie; and asserts that the institutions, which
constitute the state power, function primarily to further the material
interests as a whole of a group of people who constitute the bour–
geoisie. "State power" is a political category and "bourgeoisie" is an
economic category. The proposition is not a definition but a state–
ment of fact subject to verification. How do we verify it? We cannot
verify it unless we know what is meant by political institutions and
unless we can distinguish between actions which benefit the bour–
geoisie and those which do not. What is meant by political institu–
tions? Nowhere do Marx and Engels explicitly say but from their
specific analysis it is clear that by political institutions they mean all
bodies which make, interpret and execute laws whose enforcement
ultimately depends upon the behavior of special professional bodies
of armed men. This is a definition. No one is compelled to accept it.
But it is of these institutions as they are found in bourgeois societies
that Marx asserts a significant proposition, a proposition to be con–
firmed by observing how they function,
i.e.,
examining the laws of
Parliament and Congress, the decisions of the courts, the acts of the
executive, cabinet, military and police. Our investigation may show
that the proposition is always true, or never true, or true with a very
high frequency in relevant cases. It may show that it is true for one
class of activities and not true for another, etc. Of course, we have
also assumed that we can roughly determine when political acts have
economic consequences favorable to the bourgeoisie and when not.
This would have to be developed.
Now let us look at the proposition enunciated by Marxists who
have generalized Marx's original proposition: "The state in class
societies is an instrument of the ruling Class."
If
by "ruling class"
is
meant "politically ruling" class the statement is a tautology. By ruling
