FIST discusses the state

Fight Imperialism—Stand Together (FIST) is holding discussion groups every Thursday evening in New York. The subject on June 13 was “The Origin and Role of the State.” It was first established that the state means the whole repressive apparatus of the government—the prisons, police and military. Politicians come and go, even governments come and go, but the state remains essentially the same as an apparatus for one class to repress another.

Articles on ICE raids and police brutality were read, along with selections from “Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State” by Frederick Engels and “State and Revolution” by V.I. Lenin.

Some questions raised and addressed during the discussion were: How does class division become a hindrance to production? Why is universal suffrage merely a gauge of the maturity of the working class? What is to replace the smashed state machine? How does one explain what the state is and why it exists in simple terms? What is the difference between an imperialist capitalist state and an underdeveloped capitalist state? Is the media part of the state? What is the difference between a capitalist state and a workers’ state?

For information on the classes, call 212-627-2994.