Marx and the State by Rafael De Almedia Padial

Marx and the State by Rafael De Almedia Padial

An interpretative exercise on Karl Marx’s reflections on the State, this book seeks to articulate different moments and tensions within Marx’s thought – rejecting both the thesis of a “gap” and the idea of a single, fully formed position.

Marx and the State examines the development and revisions of Marx’s conception of the State as it appears in his work, from the statist program of The Communist Manifesto to his later writings that point toward a non-statist conception of the transition to communism. Emphasizing the historical and evolving character of Marx’s thought and drawing attention to the changes in his positions over time – informed by the developing conditions within industrial capitalism together with the experience of the 1848 revolution, the phenomenon of Bonapartism, and the Paris Commune – Rafael de Almeida Padial reveals the role of the State in capitalist domination and addresses central topics such as productive labour to the problem of the disappearance of the State, based on the “Critique of the Gotha Programme”.

Providing a clear and accessible introduction to Marx’s theory of the state that connects his theoretical analysis to the problem of transition beyond capitalism, including the role of the Commune and workers’ self-organization, this concise and student-friendly book offers an ideal analysis for undergraduate teaching as well as independent study.

"Did Marx ever have a ‘theory of the state?’ Padial’s refreshing approach ensures that Marx is no longer understood as theorizing to himself and posterity but to his target audiences of the timeUnderstood that way Marx speaks to us today about global politics because his focus is so acutely on power, what it enables and what it forecloses."

Terrell Carver, Professor of Political Theory, University of Bristol, UK

"A comprehensive, clear, and erudite survey that underlines Marx’s opposition to both capital and the state, especially in his last years.”

Kevin B. Anderson, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of California Santa Barbara, and author of Marx at the Margins

"Until now the literature on Marx in English has lacked a concise and accessible guide to Marx’s sprawling writings about the state. Padial’s book fills the gap, providing an erudite commentary to guide the reader through the twists and turns of Marx’s political writings. An outstanding introduction to a complex topic."

Joel Wainwright, Professor of Geography, Ohio State University and author of The End: Marx, Darwin, and the Natural History of the Climate Crisis (2025)

Rafael de Almeida Padial is a Temporary Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the Federal University of São João del-Rei (Brazil). He holds a PhD in Philosophy from the State University of Campinas (Brazil). He is the author of Sobre a passagem de Marx ao comunismo (Alameda, São Paulo, 2024; forthcoming in English from Brill).