I have some probably dumb questions to ask about marxism and wasn’t sure where to go. Is there like a ask marxists or debate marxists forum? Anyway
What and how many branches of marxism want state socialism during the socialist transition period before Communism? I was under the impression that all (or most) leninists wanted state socialism during this period. I have since been told that Trotskyists don’t want this. Is this correct if so what do they want instead? How does this all relate to vanguardism?
Furthermore how does marxism define a state? Is this different from how other groups define statehood?
I still don’t fully grasp the difference between marxists and anarchists. I thought the difference was mainly that anarchists don’t want a state, and encourage mutual aid. Now that I hear not all marxists want a state I am pretty confused.
It was Marx who recognized 1) the workers are the class with revolutionary potential, and 2) a revolution would require a “dictatorship of the proletariat”, a period in which political control is taken by the (former) working class in some form or another, in order to both build the new society and defend itself from counter-revolution.
He was not dogmatic about exactly what form this revolution would have, showing a capacity to reconsider aspects of his theory after the failure of the Paris Commune. From this real revolution he realized that “the working class cannot simply lay hold of the ready-made state machinery, and wield it for its own purposes,” meaning that it is not sufficient to wrest political control while maintaining state institutions whose purpose is to reproduce capitalist class relations. The revolution requires a new workers’ state which takes conscious steps toward a communist state.
By state Marxists broadly mean the institutions of the ruling class which maintain class relations and the dominance of the ruling class. It is related but distinct to government which can have administrative functions besides.