The Marxist Social Theory and the Modern State

Abstract

Introduction. The appeal to Marxism as a system of ideas explaining and predicting the ways of development of mankind and the fate of the state is still relevant. Marxism is popular not only in postsocialist countries, but also in the consistently developed bourgeois world. It is not overlooked as an object of research by representatives of leftist intellectuals at leading foreign and Russian universities. The purpose of this paper is to identify or clarify the reasons for the discrepancy between the social class ideas of Marxism and the practice of the modern state, the prospects for the theoretical and practical development of this, perhaps, the most influential doctrine after the world religions. Methodology and materials. Within the framework of a short article, which does not specifically touch upon the problems of foundations (sources), political economy, the concept of man, the interpretation of Marxism in the countries that today call themselves socialist, and many others, the author uses the methodological technique of interpreting Marx's key theses concerning the driving forces of the historical development of society and the fate of the state through the comparison of the thinker's ideas (insights) with contemporary reality. Research results and their discussion. The author reveals inconsistencies between the social class theory of Marxism and its practical implementation in the Soviet socialist state of the twentieth century; discovers the shortcomings of this theory in explaining the European society and state of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries; reveals its potential in modern state-organized society. Conclusions. The study argues the point of view according to which the transformation of the social class theory of Marxism into a discourse devoid of practical possibilities of overthrowing the state (as an institution) has led to the paradox of defense and improvement of the system of institutions of the modern state by the supporters of the once revolutionary doctrine.