Outline the similarities and differences in the marxist and liberal Essay

Outline the similarities and differences in the marxist and liberal approaches to understanding the state - Essay Example Very few countries in the world even consider themselves Marxist anymore and the economic systems as well as the approach taken to the state is often a mixed one for former Marxist countries. Nevertheless, the ideas presented by Marxist theorists remain important because there are quite a few supporters of Marxism and Marxist theories in the world even where the majority holds the liberal approach. Perhaps the best representation of the ideas behind Marxism is given in the communist manifesto which was written jointly by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel. The Communist Manifesto was first published in 1848 and the book deals with the program of the communist party as well as the purposes of its foundation. In essence the viewpoint taken by the Marxist approach to the state focuses on the conflict between proletariats and the bourgeoisie (Avineri, 1968). Ideally, for a Marxist, the conflict would result in the overthrow a capitalist state system which exploits workers that controls the means of production. The eventual aim of the Marxist viewpoint is to create a state that remains classless as opposed to a liberal state which can result in the creation of rich and poor classes (Drydyk, 1991). Even though the book was written almost a hundred and fifty years ago, it still remains relevant today since the class struggle and the negative effects of capitalism remain present in many societies. After laying down the idea that communism is not understood and feared unnecessarily, the communist manifesto initiates the section on Bourgeois and Proletarians where many famous sayings of Marx are placed. For example, Marx suggests quite clearly that all history is nothing more than the story of class struggles between the haves and the have-nots and this essentially becomes the view of the state as a propagator of the class system when it is under a liberal