Nicos Poulantzas: Marxist Theory and Political Strategy (Theoretical Traditions in the Social Sciences)

Contents Preface Abbrevation PART I xiii xvii LIFE AND EARLY WORKS 1 The Life and Times of Poulantzas The Early Life of Poulantzas The First Years in France The Concerns of the Seventies Un Cri de Mélusine An Approach to the Work of Poulantzas Concluding Remarks 2 Existentialism, Marxism, and Law Poulantzas's Preliminary Studies The Nature of Things Other Early Philosophical and Legal Studies A Critique of the Early Poulantzas Concluding Remarks PART II 3 6 9 15 19 23 24 26 30 33 38 42 48 THEORIES OF THE CAPITALIST STATE 3 Towards a Regional Theory of Politics 53 4 Developing the Regional Theory 84 First Thoughts on Hegemony and the State Italian Politics and French Philosophy Methodological Foundations for a Regional Theory State Power and Social Classes The 'Isolation Effect', Class Relations, and the State Fundamental Characteristics of the Capitalist State State Unity and Relative Autonomy Bureaucracy and Bureaucratism Structuralist Marxism and Politicism Juridico-political institutions and class practices The Triple Structure of the Regional Theory Further Difficulties in the Regional Theory Concluding Remarks Economic Determination and Political Dominance Economic Intervention and Class Struggle Economic and Political Crises Normal and Exceptional States ‘Authoritarian Statism’ A Critique of the Regional Economic Theory 53 57 59 60 63 65 68 70 72 74 76 78 81 84 87 90 94 97 103Poulantzas and State Monopoly Capitalism Theory The Analysis of Political Regimes Concluding Remarks 5 From a Regional to a Relational Theory? New Methodological Considerations The State, Class Powers, and Struggles The Capitalist State and the Social Division of Labour Citizenship, Law, and Nation The State and Political Class Struggle The State as a Strategic Terrain A Relational Approach to State Power A Critique of the Relative Autonomy of the State A Critique of the Class Unity of the State The Double Determination of Hegemony Macro-Necessity and Micro-Contingency Concluding Remarks 108 111 113 114 115 116 118 119 123 125 128 130 135 137 141 143 PART III SOCIAL CLASSES, IDEOLOGY, AND CLASS STRUGGLE 6 Social Classes and Class Alliances Early Views on Class Social Classes and Class Powers Some Points of Clarification Two Points of Criticism Social Classes and Relations of Production The Role of Class Struggle in Class Determination Class Determination and Class Position Social Classes and Social Categories The Expanded Reproduction of Social Classes From Structuralist Marxism to Political Strategy The Petty Bourgeoisie The Rural Classes The Interior Bourgeoisie The Primacy of the Political? The Internationalisation of Capital Social Classes and Political Parties Political Parties and Political Representation Social Classes and Social Movements Some Unresolved Difficulties A Way Forward? Concluding Remarks 7 Ideology, the State and Ideological Confrontation From Weltanschauungen to Egemonia Towards a Regional Theory of Ideology The Ideological State Apparatus Ideological Sub-Ensembles and Ideological Class Struggle Critique and Counter-Critique In Defense of Poulantzas 149 149 151 153 156 159 163 164 165 166 169 169 171 171 173 175 178 180 183 184 188 189 191 191 194 200 203 206 212Intellectuals, Parties, and Ideological Contestation The Division between Mental and Manual Labour Concluding Remarks on Ideological Class Domination PART IV 217 221 224 PROBLEMS OF POLITICAL STRATEGY 8 Fascism and Dictatorship 229 9 Military Regimes and Anti-Dictatorial Struggles 263 The Context of Fascism The Power Bloc and the Crisis of Hegemony The Successive Steps of Fascism Fascism and the Petty Bourgeoisie Fascism in the Countryside Fascism and the Working Class The Rise of Fascism in Retrospect Fascism as an Exceptional State Reorganising the State under Fascism The ISAs and Mass Mobilisation under Fascism How Fascist Regimes Served Monopoly Capital The Resistance to Fascism The Theoretical Critique offered in FD On the Relative Autonomy and Class Functions of Fascism On the Unity of the Fascist State Some Unanswered Questions In Defense of Poulantzas Concluding Remarks First Thoughts on the Greek Coup Dependent Industrialisation in Southern Europe The Power Bloc in Dependent States Popular Struggles and Political Crisis Democratisation and the Transition to Socialism The Portuguese Experiment Democratisation - an Overview Anti-dictatorial Alliances and Democratisation Poulantzas on the United Front Poulantzas on the Popular Front Alliance Strategies for Greece Left Unity in Greece? A Critical Appraisal of CD Strategic Conclusions 10 The Democratic Transition to Democratic Socialism The Decline of Capitalist Democracy Democratic Socialism Direct and/or Representative Democracy? The Crisis of Political Parties New Social Movements and Democratic Socialism The Working Class and Political Democracy Poulantzas and Left Eurocommunism Poulantzas and Austro-Marxism Some Unresolved Difficulties 229 231 233 235 237 238 241 243 244 246 249 252 253 254 256 258 260 261 264 264 266 267 269 270 271 273 273 274 275 277 279 282 284 284 287 288 290 292 295 295 298 299The Dilemmas of a Democratic Socialist Transition Is a Democratic Transition Possible? Concluding Remarks PART V 303 306 309 RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT 11 Further Remarks on the Three Sources The Originality of Marx and Poulantzas Poulantzas and French Philosophy Poulantzas and Sartre Poulantzas and Althusser Poulantzas and Foucault Poulantzas and Italian Politics Poulantzas and Romano-German Law The Three Sources Combined Changing Philosophical Positions Althusser, Foucault, and Poulantzas Philosophical Preconditions? The Primacy of Political Involvements Concluding Remarks 313 313 315 315 317 318 320 322 324 325 327 329 331 332 12 Beyond Poulantzas 336 Bibliography for Poulantzas Name Index Subject Index 365 379 381 The State as a Social Relation Poulantzas's Theoretical Agenda Poulantzas and the Concept of Strategy Towards a 'Strategic-Theoretical' Approach Forms of Class Domination Class Hegemonies and Class Strategies Some Points of Clarification Are there Global Strategies? Structure and Strategy An Exceptional Western Marxist? 336 339 340 343 345 347 353 355 357 360 Preface 7 Abbrevation 11 The Life and Times of Poulantzas 14 The Early Life of Poulantzas 17 The First Years in France 20 The Concerns of the Seventies 26 Un Cri de Mélusine 30 An Approach to the Work of Poulantzas 34 Concluding Remarks 35 Existentialism, Marxism, and Law 37 Poulantzas's Preliminary Studies 41 The Nature of Things 44 Other Early Philosophical and Legal Studies 49 A Critique of the Early Poulantzas 53 Concluding Remarks 59 Towards a Regional Theory of Politics 63 First Thoughts on Hegemony and the State 63 Italian Politics and French Philosophy 67 Methodological Foundations for a Regional Theory 69 State Power and Social Classes 70 The 'Isolation Effect', Class Relations, and the State 73 Fundamental Characteristics of the Capitalist State 75 State Unity and Relative Autonomy 78 Bureaucracy and Bureaucratism 80 Structuralist Marxism and Politicism 82 Juridico-political institutions and class practices 84 The Triple Structure of the Regional Theory 86 Further Difficulties in the Regional Theory 88 Concluding Remarks 91 Developing the Regional Theory 94 Economic Determination and Political Dominance 94 Economic Intervention and Class Struggle 97 Economic and Political Crises 100 Normal and Exceptional States 104 ‘Authoritarian Statism’ 107 A Critique of the Regional Economic Theory 113 Poulantzas and State Monopoly Capitalism Theory 118 The Analysis of Political Regimes 121 Concluding Remarks 123 From a Regional to a Relational Theory? 125 New Methodological Considerations 126 The State, Class Powers, and Struggles 127 The Capitalist State and the Social Division of Labour 129 Citizenship, Law, and Nation 130 The State and Political Class Struggle 134 The State as a Strategic Terrain 136 A Relational Approach to State Power 139 A Critique of the Relative Autonomy of the State 141 A Critique of the Class Unity of the State 146 The Double Determination of Hegemony 148 Macro-Necessity and Micro-Contingency 152 Concluding Remarks 154 Social Classes and Class Alliances 158 Early Views on Class 158 Social Classes and Class Powers 160 Some Points of Clarification 162 Two Points of Criticism 165 Social Classes and Relations of Production 168 The Role of Class Struggle in Class Determination 172 Class Determination and Class Position 173 Social Classes and Social Categories 174 The Expanded Reproduction of Social Classes 175 From Structuralist Marxism to Political Strategy 178 The Petty Bourgeoisie 178 The Rural Classes 180 The Interior Bourgeoisie 180 The Primacy of the Political? 182 The Internationalisation of Capital 184 Social Classes and Political Parties 187 Political Parties and Political Representation 189 Social Classes and Social Movements 192 Some Unresolved Difficulties 193 A Way Forward? 197 Concluding Remarks 198 Ideology, the State and Ideological Confrontation 200 From Weltanschauungen to Egemonia 200 Towards a Regional Theory of Ideology 203 The Ideological State Apparatus 209 Ideological Sub-Ensembles and Ideological Class Struggle 212 Critique and Counter-Critique 215 In Defense of Poulantzas 221 Intellectuals, Parties, and Ideological Contestation 226 The Division between Mental and Manual Labour 230 Concluding Remarks on Ideological Class Domination 233 Fascism and Dictatorship 237 The Context of Fascism 237 The Power Bloc and the Crisis of Hegemony 239 The Successive Steps of Fascism 241 Fascism and the Petty Bourgeoisie 243 Fascism in the Countryside 245 Fascism and the Working Class 246 The Rise of Fascism in Retrospect 249 Fascism as an Exceptional State 251 Reorganising the State under Fascism 252 The ISAs and Mass Mobilisation under Fascism 254 How Fascist Regimes Served Monopoly Capital 257 The Resistance to Fascism 260 The Theoretical Critique offered in FD 261 On the Relative Autonomy and Class Functions of Fascism 262 On the Unity of the Fascist State 264 Some Unanswered Questions 266 In Defense of Poulantzas 268 Concluding Remarks 269 Military Regimes and Anti-Dictatorial Struggles 271 First Thoughts on the Greek Coup 272 Dependent Industrialisation in Southern Europe 272 The Power Bloc in Dependent States 274 Popular Struggles and Political Crisis 275 Democratisation and the Transition to Socialism 277 The Portuguese Experiment 278 Democratisation - an Overview 279 Anti-dictatorial Alliances and Democratisation 281 Poulantzas on the United Front 281 Poulantzas on the Popular Front 282 Alliance Strategies for Greece 283 Left Unity in Greece? 285 A Critical Appraisal of CD 287 Strategic Conclusions 290 The Democratic Transition to Democratic Socialism 292 The Decline of Capitalist Democracy 292 Democratic Socialism 295 Direct and/or Representative Democracy? 296 The Crisis of Political Parties 298 New Social Movements and Democratic Socialism 300 The Working Class and Political Democracy 303 Poulantzas and Left Eurocommunism 303 Poulantzas and Austro-Marxism 306 Some Unresolved Difficulties 307 The Dilemmas of a Democratic Socialist Transition 311 Is a Democratic Transition Possible? 314 Concluding Remarks 317 Further Remarks on the Three Sources 320 The Originality of Marx and Poulantzas 320 Poulantzas and French Philosophy 322 Poulantzas and Sartre 322 Poulantzas and Althusser 324 Poulantzas and Foucault 325 Poulantzas and Italian Politics 327 Poulantzas and Romano-German Law 329 The Three Sources Combined 331 Changing Philosophical Positions 332 Althusser, Foucault, and Poulantzas 334 Philosophical Preconditions? 336 The Primacy of Political Involvements 338 Concluding Remarks 339 Beyond Poulantzas 343 The State as a Social Relation 343 Poulantzas's Theoretical Agenda 346 Poulantzas and the Concept of Strategy 347 Towards a 'Strategic-Theoretical' Approach 350 Forms of Class Domination 352 Class Hegemonies and Class Strategies 354 Some Points of Clarification 360 Are there Global Strategies? 362 Structure and Strategy 364 An Exceptional Western Marxist? 367 Bibliography for Poulantzas 372 1. Books 372 2. Collected Essays and Interviews 373 4. Articles and Essays 373 5. Interviews, Debates, and Round-Table Presentations 377 Other Works Cited in This Book 379 Name Index 385 Subject Index 387