Unity and Relative Autonomy of the State. Some Notes on Poulantzas reader of Marx's Eighteenth Brumaire

Abstract

Unità e autonomia relativa dello Stato. Alcune note su Poulantzas

lettore de Il 18 Brumaio di Marx

Alberto Destasio (Università di Catania)

This essay examines Nicos Poulantzas' interpretation of Marx's "The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte" within the framework of his theory on the relative autonomy of the capitalist state. Poulantzas challenges the instrumentalist perspective of the state, arguing instead that the state functions as a space for the unstable compromise among dominant class fractions while maintaining the unity and coherence of institutionalized political power. Drawing upon Marxist texts and theories from Engels, Lenin, and Gramsci, Poulantzas emphasizes the evolving forms of state autonomy across historical phases and regimes, particularly highlighting Bonapartism as a paradigm for understanding the state’s dual character: as a tool for class domination and as an institution with its own structural logic. The essay critiques Poulantzas' rejection of instrumentalism, raising questions about the relationship between state autonomy and the direct influence of dominant classes.

Capitalist State; Relative Autonomy; Bonapartism; Marxist Theory; Class Domination.