This translation of Max Adler ‘s Die Staatsauffassung des Marxismus introduces English readers to an important and distinctive perspective on Marx ’s theory of the state, formed through Adler ’s experience of the tumultuous interwar period.

Adler ’s central target of critique is the notion of the law as the neutral arbiter of democratic society – a notion which, Adler contends, collapses in the face of an adequate understanding of the ruling class in capitalist society. Beyond providing an important historical survey of arguments over the nature of law and democracy that were conducted between the two World Wars, The Marxist Conception of the State offers contemporary readers a primer for comprehending any truly democratic future state might entail.