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Books: 1. the State in Capitalist Society student revolt of 1968-69 did not im­ Books prove his standing with the majority of his professional colleagues who when under pressure are every bit as reactionary as their counterparts in the US and Australia. In his latest and most ambitious work, The State in Capitalist Society, Miliband begins with the recognition that since Lenin — with the exception of Gramsci — Marxists have made little THE STATE IN CAPITALIST notable attempt to explore the pheno­ SOCIETY, by Ralph Miliband. menon of the bourgeois State in the Weidenfeld and Nicolson, light of the concrete socio economic, 292pp., $6.65. political and cultural reality of actual capitalist societies. Several years ago MANY ill-informed people still be­ Paul Sweczy observed that "this is the lieve that the staff of the political area in which the study of monopoly science department at the London capitalism, not only by bourgeois social School of Economics, once headed by scientists but by Marxists as well, is Harold Laski, presents a serious threat most seriously deficient.” to the ongoing system. In fact, almost all the teaching staff arc either tired Miliband's book is a very substan­ Fabian fact grubbers or ignorant Mar- tial contribution to remedying the de­ cuse-baiters such as Maurice Cranston. ficiency noted by Sweezy. It constitutes a major advance on works such as Laski's sole heir among the senior James Harvey and Katherine Hood, staff is the brilliant Belgian-born co­ The British State (1958) , not only be­ editor of the annual Socialist Register, cause it comes to grips with and ef­ Ralph Miliband, who is best known fectively demolishes the most influen­ as the author of Parliamentary Social­ tial schools of thought subscribed to ism (1961). T his work, an historical by bourgeois political scientists and critique of the British Labour Party political sociologists but also because in terms of "parliamentary cretinism”, it confronts the cultural reality of demonstrated that Labour entirely ex­ advanced capitalism, an area of crucial cluded all forms of action except vot­ importance which has been largely ing, debating and negotiating, includ­ neglected by Marxists in the English- ing even the elementary militancy of speaking world. Two long chapters industrial action. Not surprisingly, it arc devoted to the processes of legiti was described by Bernard Crick, Mili­ mation of advanced capitalist societies, band's former colleague at the I.SE e.g. education, the mass m edia and and a member of the Labour Party, the churches. Miliband recognises that as "a piece of protracted teleology, for the ruling classes in these societies rather like Arthur Schlesinger, Jr's there can be no enterprises of greater notorious history of the New Deal." importance than the battle to persuade (Most of the reviews of this book in the subordinate classes to accept the the scholarly journals were complete­ existing social order and to confine ly illiterate, but an excellent critique their demands and aspirations within by the Marxist historian Eric Hobs- its limits. bawm appeared in Universities and l.eft Review). More recently, Miliband's After reading The State in Capitalist support for the rebels during the LSF. Society, one must turn to the lengthy 79 review in New Left lievitw No. 58 by the thesis of the "destruction" of the Nicos Poulantzas who puts forward a State not only to the State re­ number of very important critical com­ pressive apparatus, but also to the ments although he recognises the fun­ State ideological apparatuses. The ad­ damental merits of the work. Un­ vent of a socialist society cannot be fortunately Miliband does not deal achieved by "breaking" only the State with the Marxist theory of the State repressive apparatus while maintaining as such. By omitting the first step he intact the State ideological apparatus, finds it rather difficult to get beyond taking them in hand as they are and opposing “concrete facts” to the old just changing their function. notions but these can only be com­ bated effectively by the explicit in­ Notwithstanding these and other troduction of new concepts. Another criticisms brought up by Poulantzas — important point raised by Poulantzas which this reviewer accepts — Mili- is that the churches, political parties, band’s book remains a work of funda­ unions, schools, the mass media and mental importance. He has demons­ the family should be considered, de­ trated that the most important lact spite their relative independence and about advanced capitalist societies is autonomy, as ideological apparatus of the continued existence in them of the State as opposed to the classical private and concentrated economic repressive apparatus of the State (gov­ power. As a result of that power, the ernment, army, public bureaucracy, owners and controllers in whose hands etc.). According to Marxist-Leninist it lies enjoy a massive preponderance theory, a socialist revolution does not in society, in the political system, and signify only a shift in State power, in the determination of the policies but it must equally “break” the State and actions of the State. apparatus. The classics of Marxism have considered it necessary to apply J o h n P l a y f o r d Late News The editors have pleasure in announcing that Roger Gar- audy, eminent French marxist, has accepted an invitation by ALR to make a lecture tour of Australia in September this Year. Further details will be announced shortly. 80 AUSTRALIAN LEFT REVIEW— APRIL-MAV, 1970.
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