Nicos poulantzas state power socialism

Today, in the context of a radicalising anticapitalist movement, many old ideas are returning in new contexts. Poulantzas is once again being cited in arguments over strategies for the movement and many of the criticisms raised by Colin Barker retain their pertinence. The machinery of government cannot be too simple. It is always the craft of knaves to make it complicated and mysterious. For some years now, there has been a welcome revival in Marxist discussion on the State. Two names, above all, have been associated with that discussion: Ralph Miliband and Nicos Poulantzas.

The global far-right is returning at an alarming rate, with the latest example being that of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil analysed by Perry Anderson in the latest LRB. But, is this fascism? The first thing we need to know before we can answer that is a full definition of fascism as an historical phenomena. In this essay, historian Pierre Vilar reconstructs nineteenth- and twentieth-century Marxist theories of the nation — against the claim that they do not exist. We use cookies to enhance your experience.