The basis of the state is class struggle, so to eliminate it you eliminate class. The basis of class is differences in relation to the means of production, so the answer is to collectivize all production. Until we get there, classes will remain, thus elements like police are necessary to keep the proletariat in control and capitalists oppressed, and as production and distribution collectivizes then so too will the basis of the state itself become unnecessary as class struggle fades alongside class itself.
It isn’t by magic, it’s based in sound analysis of socialism and the economic basis of class and the state itself.
The basis of the state is class struggle, so to eliminate it you eliminate class.
thus elements like police are necessary to keep the proletariat in control and capitalists oppressed
That is the main basis, but it is not the only one, and police are a good example of it. More often than not police enjoy the power that their position gives them. The job itself attracts people who enjoy having power over others, and that’s not strictly a mechanism of classes existing.
The state backs up their power, and so they are influenced to protect the existence of the state. Anybody who commands the police will see the police as an extension of their power and will be similarly influenced.
Power corrupts and makes people want to retain power.
I’m not exactly sure what the question is, but if its that “power always corrupts”, this might be true for capitalist countries, which allow private ownership of capital, and creates a system that encourages and incentivizes accumulation of power.
But In a socialist state, where the heights of the economy are controlled not by private capitalist dictators, but by collective decision-making, and production decisions are controlled at the collective political level, then no one person can accumulate that much power, and they would be (and are) punished when they try to subvert the collective authority.
Taking the example of police, the important question is who commands them, and for whose benefit? In proletarian states, police are commanded not by capitalists who use them to protect their private property, but by the socialist state who commands them to protect the people. Socialist states are going to be receptive to accusations of abuses, because that means they’re harming the people.
That’s a key distinction between proletarian cops and capitalist ones.
This is more idealist than materialist. “Power” isn’t a real substance, it has no ability to “corrupt” people or turn them “evil.” Police exist to protect the ruling class, the state itself is not a class but an extension of the ruling class in society. The state does not exist to prop itself up, it’s a tool by the ruling class of society to entrench itself, prop up ruling class ideology, and suppress any resistance from the working class.
People act in their own interests, and in capitalism profit is the driving factor. The capitalists at the top are the ones that best get the most profits by any means necessary, so the ones at the top are typically more morally bankrupt. It wasn’t that power corrupted them, but capitalism as a system selected for them.
In socialism, this isn’t the case, and when we measure it up to how socialism exists in practice we don’t see this kind of “power corruption.” That isn’t to say corruption doesn’t exist in socialism, it absolutely does, but that isn’t because of metaphysical powers of corruption. The closest is that people’s existing material conditions and the way they interact with production does change their thought-process (called class consciousness), but that isn’t the same as saying anyone with any degree of authority is being mentally poisoned by it into becoming evil.
Further, as Dessalines said, socialist planning and administration is more collectivized, both by intention and by necessity. You physically couldn’t have a single person, or elite few, making all of the decisions in socialist society.
In a communist non-state area, who enforces environmental protections? Who punishes rapists and murderers without being he said she said? Who prevents workplaces from unsafe working habits? Who assures buildings are up to code? Those are realistic issues, that don’t stop magically when you do away with a class system. Doing away with a class system will improve them, but not eliminate them.
Administration and other protections that don’t involve things like oppressive police forces. Marxists don’t lump all administration into the state when we talk about statelessness.
The basis of the state is class struggle, so to eliminate it you eliminate class. The basis of class is differences in relation to the means of production, so the answer is to collectivize all production. Until we get there, classes will remain, thus elements like police are necessary to keep the proletariat in control and capitalists oppressed, and as production and distribution collectivizes then so too will the basis of the state itself become unnecessary as class struggle fades alongside class itself.
It isn’t by magic, it’s based in sound analysis of socialism and the economic basis of class and the state itself.
That is the main basis, but it is not the only one, and police are a good example of it. More often than not police enjoy the power that their position gives them. The job itself attracts people who enjoy having power over others, and that’s not strictly a mechanism of classes existing.
The state backs up their power, and so they are influenced to protect the existence of the state. Anybody who commands the police will see the police as an extension of their power and will be similarly influenced.
Power corrupts and makes people want to retain power.
I’m not exactly sure what the question is, but if its that “power always corrupts”, this might be true for capitalist countries, which allow private ownership of capital, and creates a system that encourages and incentivizes accumulation of power.
But In a socialist state, where the heights of the economy are controlled not by private capitalist dictators, but by collective decision-making, and production decisions are controlled at the collective political level, then no one person can accumulate that much power, and they would be (and are) punished when they try to subvert the collective authority.
Taking the example of police, the important question is who commands them, and for whose benefit? In proletarian states, police are commanded not by capitalists who use them to protect their private property, but by the socialist state who commands them to protect the people. Socialist states are going to be receptive to accusations of abuses, because that means they’re harming the people.
That’s a key distinction between proletarian cops and capitalist ones.
This is more idealist than materialist. “Power” isn’t a real substance, it has no ability to “corrupt” people or turn them “evil.” Police exist to protect the ruling class, the state itself is not a class but an extension of the ruling class in society. The state does not exist to prop itself up, it’s a tool by the ruling class of society to entrench itself, prop up ruling class ideology, and suppress any resistance from the working class.
People act in their own interests, and in capitalism profit is the driving factor. The capitalists at the top are the ones that best get the most profits by any means necessary, so the ones at the top are typically more morally bankrupt. It wasn’t that power corrupted them, but capitalism as a system selected for them.
In socialism, this isn’t the case, and when we measure it up to how socialism exists in practice we don’t see this kind of “power corruption.” That isn’t to say corruption doesn’t exist in socialism, it absolutely does, but that isn’t because of metaphysical powers of corruption. The closest is that people’s existing material conditions and the way they interact with production does change their thought-process (called class consciousness), but that isn’t the same as saying anyone with any degree of authority is being mentally poisoned by it into becoming evil.
Further, as Dessalines said, socialist planning and administration is more collectivized, both by intention and by necessity. You physically couldn’t have a single person, or elite few, making all of the decisions in socialist society.
In a communist non-state area, who enforces environmental protections? Who punishes rapists and murderers without being he said she said? Who prevents workplaces from unsafe working habits? Who assures buildings are up to code? Those are realistic issues, that don’t stop magically when you do away with a class system. Doing away with a class system will improve them, but not eliminate them.
Administration and other protections that don’t involve things like oppressive police forces. Marxists don’t lump all administration into the state when we talk about statelessness.