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MARXIST VIEW OR PERSPECTIVE ON THE NATURE AND FUNCTION, OF THE STATE, The Marxists gives us a quite different picture about the nature and function of the state. Firstly,, the state is not natural institution but a creation of man that is a human institution. It was created, by the propertied class to protect their own interests and to exploit the propertyless class. Secondly,, the Marxists think that the state has been created to protect the interest of the most dominant class, that control over the means of production. It has not been created for maintaining law and order in, the society. It is created with the class struggle and it will vanish away or die with the class struggle., The state is a product of class society. It arose with the appearance of classes and it will wither, away with the disappearance of the classes. Thus the state is a condition of class exploitation., Thirdly, Force is the basis of the state. State is based on force and it used all types of instrument, to suppress and exploit the dependent classes. Thus it make use of military, police, courts, law,, bureaucracy etc against the proletariat. Fouthly, Lenin holds that the state is a product of the, irreconciliability of class antagonism. The existence of the states proves that the class antagonism, are irreconcilable. Fifthly, the state is a part of the superstructure that grows upon the productive, forces. Sixthly, the laws of the state are the wills of the dominant class in the society to protect, their own interest again the oppressed ones. Seventhly, the institution of the state function like a, machine to crush and repress the exploited lot. Eightly, marxist hold that the present state is a, capitalist state and is used to exploit the labourers who are forced to sell their labour power to the, capitalist, even the democratic state is no exception to it. Last but not the least, Marxist theory, postulate that the capitalist system will also be ultimately destroyed by a revolution of the, proletariat. After this it will be followed by establishment of the socialist system which will be a, transition stage. Finally the communist system will appear. In the communist system, there will be, no classes, society will be classless. As the state is essentially an instrument of class exploitation,, it will not be necessary in a classless society, it will wither away and a stateless society will be, established., , Criticism, The theory on the nature and function of state elaborated by Marxist are not free from criticism:, 1. It is nowhere stated in history that the origin of state is linked with the class struggle. So, this theory of Marx is wrong., 2. Many critics say that Marxist theory of state is out and out Utopian. The proletarians would, capture state power and would bring everything of the capitalist state under its supreme, authority is nothing but a Utopian thought. The seizure of state power is definitely not an, easy task. The workers are united no doubt, but the capitalists are more united and would, fight tooth and nail to resist all attempts of working class to capture state power., 3. Marxist theory of state suffers from another shortcoming. He has said that the classless, society will have no state, it will wither away. If so, who will settle the disputes in such a

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society. The classless society will not be inhabited by gods. Conflicts in classless society, must crop up and for their settlement a sovereign body is essential. Marxist theory of state, does not make any provision for such an arrangement., 4. The critics point out that class division is not only based on economic factors but it is also, based on religion, birth, caste, status and ethnicity., 5. It is wrong to regard the state as a class organisation which function only to protect the, interest of the ruling class because modern states are welfare states which works for the, welfare of all the people in the society.