CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL THEORY

General Editor: ANTHONY GIDDENS

This series aims to create a forum for debate between different theoretical and philosophical traditions in the social sciences. As well as covering broad schools of thought, the series will also concentrate upon the work of particular thinkers whose ideas have had a major impact on social science (these books appear under the sub-series title of 'Theoretical Traditions in the Social Sciences'). The series is not limited to abstract theoretical discussion- it will also include more substantive works on contemporary capitalism, the state, politics and other subject areas.

Published titles Tony Bilton, Kevin Bonnett, Philip Jones, Ken Sheard, Michelle Stanworth and

Andrew Webster, Introductory Sociology Simon Clarke, Marx, Marginalism and Modern Sociology Emile Durkheim, The Division of Labour in Society (trans. W. D. Halls) Emile Durkheim, The Rules of Sociological Method (ed. Steven Lukes, trans. W. D.

Halls) Boris Frankel, Beyond the State? Anthony Giddens, A Contemporary Critique of Historical Materialism Anthony Giddens, Central Problems in Social Theory Anthony Giddens, Profiles and Critiques in Social Theory Anthony Giddens and David Held (eds), Classes, Power and Conflict: Classical and

Contemporary Debates Geoffrey Ingham, Capitalism Divided? Terry Johnson, Christopher Dandeker and Clive Ashworth, The Structure of Social

Theory Douglas Kellner, Herbert Marcuse and the Crisis of Marxism Jorge Larrain, Marxism and Ideology Ali Rattansi, Marx and the Division of Labour Gerry Rose, Deciphering Sociological Research John Scott, The Upper Classes: Property and Privilege in Britain Steve Taylor, Durkheim and the Study of Suicide John B. Thompson and David Held (eds), Habermas: Critical Debates John Urry, The Anatomy of Capitalist Society

Forthcoming titles Martin Albrow, Max Weber and the Construction of Social Theory Ali Rattansi and Dominic Strinati, Marx and the Sociology of Class

CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL THEORY

General Editor: ANTHONY GIDDENS

Theoretical Traditions in the Social Sciences

This series introduces the work of major figures in social science to students beyond their immediate specialisms.

Published titles Barry Barnes, T. S. Kuhn and Social Science Ted Benton, The Rise and Fall of Structural Marxism David Bloor, Wittgenstein: A Social Theory of Knowledge Christopher G. A. Bryant, Positivism in Social Theory and Research Mark Cousins and Athar Hussain, Michel Foucault Bob Jessop, Nicos Poulantzas: Marxist Theory and Political Strategy Julian Roberts, Walter Benjamin Dennis Smith, Barrington Moore: Violence, Morality and Political Change James Schmidt, Maurice Merleau-Ponty: Between Phenomenology and Structuralism

Forthcoming titles Ira Cohen, Structuration Theory John Forrester, Jacques Lacan William Outhwaite, Realist Philosophy in the Social Sciences Rick Roderick, Habermas and Critical Theory Dennis Smith, The Chicago School Piotr Sztompka, Robert K. Merton's Social Theory Robin Williams, Erving Goffman

Nicos Poulantzas

Marxist theory and political strategy

Bob Jessop

M MACMILLAN

©Bob Jessop 1985

Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1985

All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission.

No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended).

Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

First published 1985

Published by Higher and Further Education Division MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS L TO Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG212XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world

Filmsetting by Vantage Photosetting Co. Ltd Eastleigh and London

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Jessop, Bob Nicos Poulantzas: Marxist theory and political strategy.-(Theoretical traditions in the social sciences) 1. Poulantzas, Nicos I. Title II. Series 335.4'092'4 HX264.7.P6 ISBN 978-0-333-28930-3 ISBN 978-1-349-17950-3 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-17950-3

For Pamela and Julian

Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

PARTI LIFEANDEARLYWORKS

1 The Life and Times of Poulantzas The early life ofPoulantzas The first years in France The concerns of the 1970s Un cri de Melusine An approach to the work ofPoulantzas Concluding remarks

2 Existentialism, Marxism, and Law French philosophy and Western Marxism Poulantzas's preliminary studies The Nature of Things Other early legal and philosophical studies A critique of the early Poulantzas Concluding remarks

PART II THEORIES OF THE CAPITALIST STATE

xiii

xvii

3 6 9

15 19 23 24

26 26 30 33 38 42 48

3 Towards a Regional Theory of Politics 53 First thoughts on hegemony and the state 53 Italian politics and French philosophy 57 Methodological foundations for a regional theory 59 State power and social classes 60

viii Contents

The 'isolation effect', class relations, and the state 63 Fundamental characteristics of the capitalist state 65 State unity and relative autonomy 68 Bureaucracy and bureaucratism 70 Structuralist Marxism and politicism 72 Juridico-political institutions and class practices 74 The triple structure of the regional theory 76 Further difficulties in the regional theory 78 Concluding remarks 81

4 Developing the Regional Theory 84 Economic determination and political dominance 84 Economic intervention and class struggle 87 Economic and political crises 90 Normal and exceptional states 94 Authoritarian statism 97 A critique of the regional economy theory I 03 Poulantzas and state monopoly capitalism theory 108 The analysis of political regimes 111 Concluding remarks 113

5 From a Regional to a Relational Theory? 115 New methodological considerations 116 The state, class powers, and struggles 117 The capitalist state and the social division oflabour 119 Citizenship, law, and nation 120 The state and political class struggle 124 The state as a strategic terrain 126 A relational approach to state power 129 A critique of the relative autonomy of the state 131 A critique of the class unity of the state 136 The double determination of hegemony 138 Macro-necessity and micro-contingency 142 Concluding remarks 144

PART III SOCIAL CLASSES, IDEOLOGY, AND CLASS STRUGGLE

Contents ix

6 Social Classes and Class Alliances 149 Early views on class 149 Social classes and class powers 151 Some points of clarification 153 Two points of criticism 156 Social classes and relations of production 159

The role of class struggle in class determination 163 Class determination and class position 164 Social classes and social categories 165

The extended reproduction of social classes 166 From structuralist Marxism to political strategy 169

The petty bourgeoisie 169 The rural classes 1 71 The interior or domestic bourgeoisie 171

The primacy of the political? 173 The intemationalisation of capital 175 Social classes and political parties 178 Class alliances and party politics 180 Social classes and social movements 183 Some unresolved difficulties 184 A way forward? 188 Concluding remarks 189

7 Ideology, the State, and Ideological Confrontation 191 From Weltanschauungen to Egemonia 191 Towards a regional theory of ideology 194 The ideological state apparatuses 200 Ideological sub-ensembles and ideological class struggle 203 Critique and counter-critique 206 In defence of Poulantzas 212 Intellectuals, parties, and ideological contestation 217 The division between mental and manual labour 221 Concluding remarks 224

x Contents

PART IV PROBLEMS OF POLITICAL STRATEGY

8 Fascism and Dictatorship 229 The context of fascism 229 The power bloc and the crisis of hegemony 231 The successive steps of fascism 233 Fascism and the petty bourgeoisie 235 Fascism in the countryside 237 Fascism and the working class 238 The rise of fascism- an overview 241 Fascism as an exceptional state 243 Reorganising the state under fascism 244 The ISAs and mass mobilisation under fascism 246 How fascist regimes served monopoly capital 249 The resistance to fascism 252 The theoretical implications of FD 253 The relative autonomy and class functions of fascism 254 On the unity of the fascist state 256 Some unanswered questions 258 In defence ofPoulantzas 260 Concluding remarks 261

9 Military Regimes and Anti-dictatorial Struggles 263 First thoughts on the Greek coup 264 Dependent industrialisation in Southern Europe 264 The power bloc in dependent states 266 Popular struggles and political crisis 267 Democratisation and the transition to socialism 269 The Portuguese experiment 270 Democratisation- an overview 271 Anti-dictatorial alliances and democratisation 273

Poulantzas on the United Front 273 Poulantzas on the Popular front 274

Alliance strategies for Greece 275 Left unity in Greece 277 A critical appraisal of CD 279 Strategic conclusions 282

Contents xi

10 The Democratic Transition to Democratic Socialism 284 The decline of capitalist democracy 284 Democratic socialism 287 Direct and/or representative democracy? 288 The crisis of political parties 290 New social movements and democratic socialism 292 The working class and political democracy 295 Poulantzas and left Eurocommunism 295 Poulantzas and Austro-Marxism 298 Some unresolved difficulties 299 The dilemmas of a democratic socialist transition 303 Is a democratic transition possible? 305 Concluding remarks 309

PARTV RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT

11 Further Remarks on the Three Sources 313 The originality of Marx and Poulantzas 313 Poulantzas and French philosophy 315

Poulantzas and Sartre 315 Poulantzas and Althusser 317 Poulantzas and Foucault 318

Poulantzas and Italian politics 320 Poulantzas and Romano-German law 322 The three sources combined 324 Changing philosphical positions 325 Althusser, Foucault, and Pou1antzas 327 Philosophical pre-conditions? 329 The primacy of political involvements 331 Concluding remarks 332

12 Beyond Poulantzas 336 The state as a social relation 336 Poulantzas's theoretical agenda 339 Poulantzas and the concept of strategy 340 Towards a strategic-theoretical approach 343 Forms of class domination 345 Class hegemonies and class strategies 347 Some points of clarification 353

xii Contents

Are there global strategies? Structure and strategy An exceptional Western Marxist?

Bibliography

Name Index

Subject Index

355 357 360

365

379

381

Preface

The idea for this book first took shape in early 1979 and it has been some five years in coming to fruition. I have long been interested in theories of the capitalist state in general and the work ofPoulantzas in particular. I was able to meet Poulantzas for the first time in April 1979 when he addressed the annual conference of the British Sociological Association at Coventry. There I participated in one of his final interviews (see 1979Ia) and mentioned that I had been approached to write a book on his life and work. With characteristic modesty Nicos thought that it was overdoing things to devote a book to such matters but a month later he wrote saying that he had changed his mind. He declared that no author was completely contemporary with his own intellectual development and that his own work was often hard to understand. Someone who could stand back from it and write a critical interpretation would probably discover hidden apects and implications and draw out new lines of investigation. Nicos added that he would like to reach a wider audience and hoped that my critique would be less difficult than his own work. Thus encouraged I corresponded further with Poulantzas and we agreed that I should undertake a study with full critical freedom- this was in no way to be an 'official' or 'authorised' account and no punches were to be pulled. In turn Poulantzas promised every co-operation and offered to reply to any criticisms in an interview to be included at the end of the book.

Some months afterwards, Poulantzas took his own life. The hopes of many that he would continue to make an important contribution to theoretical and political debate on the left were shattered. But his example as a committed intellectual and political comrade still lives on. Although I was unable to proceed with this work as we had planned, I have received much help from Nicos's widow, Annie Leclerc, and his father, Aristides Poulantzas. Many colleagues, friends, and comrades of Poulantzas also gave much support and

xiv Preface

encouragement. In particular I would like to thank Christine Buci­Glucksmann and Constantine Tsoucalas for their generous help and support. I also gained much from interviews and discussions with Etienne Balibar, Pierre Birnbaum, Isidoro Cheresky, Georgios Dimitrarkis, Angelos Elephantis, Emilio de lpola, Kostas Filinis, Nicos Mouzelis, Theodoros Pangalos, Goran Therbom, and Henri Weber. Nonetheless, given the significant theoretical and political differences among them as well as the likely divergences between their views and mine, I take full responsibility for the interpretations and arguments presented here.

Choosing an approach to a theoretical and political work which is as rich and complex as that of Poulantzas is always difficult. As my studies proceeded it became increasingly apparent that many inter­pretations of his work were fundamentally misleading. Accordingly this book concentrates on presenting as full and accurate an account ofPoulantzas's theoretical and political development as possible. No account can really be theoretically and political innocent, of course; and I do write from the viewpoint of one who believes that Poulantzas has made a substantial contribution to post-war Marxist theory and whose own work has clearly been influenced by his various studies. It is for this reason that the substantive chapters first offer a reconstruc­tion of Poulantzas's views and then present my own criticisms of some, if not all, of these same arguments. I hope that readers can then form their own judgements independently of my commentaries and take the opportunity to disagree with my criticisms.

The need to set the record straight explains why I have not dealt at length with the many commentaries and criticisms of Poulantzas's work or the numerous studies which claim to apply it to specific case studies. For the account presented here is often at odds with the received wisdom about Poulantzas's work. It would have extended this book inordinately to have replied to each and every critique and I have dealt only with criticisms which help to illuminate the present study. This means that I ignored the most famous critique of all. For the debate between Ralph Miliband and Nicos Poulantzas is fundamentally misleading about the theoretical issues and political implications at stake -largely because of the complicity between both protagonists in overstating the structuralist character ofPoulantzas's arguments. I hope this claim will be justified in my comments on Political Power and Social Classes in subsequent chapters. Similar considerations apply to many other commentaries and I hope that, even if the current work puts an end to some lines of criticism, it will

Preface xv

stimulate many others. Poulantzas himself certainly welcomed ideological contestation as a key to theoretical and political progress and one can only commend this stance.

In writing this book I have received much support and advice from my own friends and colleagues as well as those of Poulantzas. For help with the documentation I would particularly like to thank Petros Stamoulis for his unstinting work in translating many articles, journalism, and interviews by Poulantzas from the Greek and for tracing some of them; George Anagnostopoulos and Grigoris Ananiadis for tracing and translating other pieces by Poulantzas; Annie Leclerc for lending me her archive ofNicos's French articles, journalism, and interviews; Christine Buci-Glucksmann and Isidoro Cheresky for providing two worthwhile articles at a late stage; and Noelle Burgi for chasing references in France when all else seemed to have failed. For help with the argumentation I would particularly like to acknowledge the many comments received from Simon Bromley, who suggested- within one week- both how to start and to end the book; Steven Kennedy, who made several valuable comments on the penultimate draft and whose editorial patience I hope to have rewarded with the final version; and Ruthy Laniado, whose question­ing sharpened the ideas on strategy in the concluding chapter. I have also gained much from discussions with Grigoris Ananiadis, Kevin Bonnett, Anthony Giddens, Joachim Hirsch, Emesto Laclau, Tom Ling, Harold Wolpe and Tony Woodiwiss. The students on my courses at the University of Essex probably also heard rather more about Poulantzas than they would always have liked and gave me the opportunity to try out ideas. For other kindnesses which have helped to sustain me during this study I would like to thank Kevin Bonnett for his friendship and encouragement over many years; Petros and Angeliki Stamoulis for guiding me round Athens, conducting the Greek interviews, and offering my family their parents' hospitality; Grigoris Ananiadis and Blanca Muniz for many conversations about the Greek political conjuncture and much else besides; Noelle Burgi for hospitality whilst I was conducting interviews in Paris and Jean­Yves Potel for sharing her burden; and last but not least, Suzanne Bailey, for helping to see the book to completion at a crucial stage in my life.

Finally I would like to thank New Left Books and New Left Review for permission to quote from the English translations of Poulantzas's books and his critical response to Miliband and Laclau (1976a).

xvi Preface

Pamela and Julian Jessop helped with the preparation of the final typescript and provide a constant source of inspiration. It is to them that I dedicate this book on the fifth anniversary of Poulantzas's death and in the hope that they will one day see the better future for which he struggled.

Cambridge October 1984

Bob Jessop

Abbreviations

NOTE: Throughout text italicised abbreviations always refer to book titles.

Books by Poulantzas

CCC Classes in Contemporary Capitalism CD Crisis of the Dictatorships (2nd edn) CDE Crise de L'Etat FD Fascism and Dictatorship NDC Nature des Choses PPSC Political Power and Social Classes RDN Renaissance du Droit Nature/ RHA Reperes hier et aujourd'hui SPS State, Power, Socialism

Other books

CDR Jean-Paul Sartre, Critique de Ia Raison Dialectique DP Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish HS Michel Foucault, History of Sexuality

Other abbreviations

CERES CFDT CMP CP CPSU

Centre d'Etudes, de Recherche, et d'Education Socialistes Confederationfran~ais de travailleurs capitalist mode of production Communist party Communist Party of the Soviet Union

xviii Abbreviations

BADE National Anti-Dictatorial Unity (Greek) EDA United Democratic Left (Greek) ISA ideological state apparatus KKE Greek Communist Party KKE(I) Greek Communist Party of the Interior KPD Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands PASOK Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (Greek) PCF Parti communistefrancais PCI Partito communis/a Italiano PS Parti socialiste PSI Partito socialista Italiano PSU Parti socialiste unifie RSA repressive state apparatus SPD Sozialistische Partei Deutsch/ands TRPF tendency of the rate of profit to fall