Abstract

In the philosophical and polemical works of the classical anarchists, including Max Stirner and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon , and in the works of Karl Marx , the issue of the nature, role, and function of the state is an important continuing theme. Marx and the anarchists debated the question of the state and state authority in the process of formulating their respective views of society, human beings, and the nature of social change. In the present study I trace the origin of Marx's view of the state in his study and critique of G. W. F. Hegel , critically examine the development of Marx's view in his movement beyond Hegel, discuss and evaluate Marx's disputes with Stirner and Proudhon, and conclude with a critical examination of the philosophical incompatibility of Marxism and anarchism, especially on the issue of the state. ;This study is divided into five chapters. In the first chapter , the focus is on Hegel's influence on Marx and Marx's critique of Hegel, noting the non-Hegelian framework of classical anarchism. In the second chapter, I examine Marx's view of the state in light of his auto-emancipation from Hegel's view and with reference to the concepts of 'alienation' and 'human emancipation.' In chapters three and four, Marx's debates with Stirner and Proudhon are carefully discussed in order to reveal the fundamental philosophical disagreement between Marx and the anarchists. At the core of the historical dispute are incompatible approaches to philosophical investigation and the nature of social change. In chapter five I conclude with an evaluation of this conceptual and practical conflict, critically evaluating in turn Marx's developed view of the state and the modern, sophisticated theoretical anarchism of Jean-Paul Sartre . The result of this evaluation is the conclusion that the Marxian and anarchist views of the state are fundamentally incompatible