Ralph Miliband, a prominent Marxist political theorist of the twentieth century, offered a critical perspective on the state that challenged conventional liberal and pluralist interpretations. His analysis is grounded in the Marxist tradition, emphasizing the structural and class-based dimensions of political power. Miliband’s work on the state seeks to uncover how political institutions, far from being neutral arenas of decision-making, operate in ways that maintain and reproduce existing social and economic hierarchies. Understanding Miliband’s views on the state requires situating them within the broader debates in political theory regarding the nature, autonomy, and functions of the state. Miliband was particularly concerned with the question of state power and its relationship to society. Contrary to the liberal notion of the state as a neutral arbiter that represents the collective interests of all citizens, Miliband argued that the state is deeply embedded in the structures of capitalist society. He contended that the state is not an impartial actor but one whose institutions, policies, and actions are heavily influenced by dominant social and economic groups, particularly the capitalist class. This perspective aligns with the Marxist understanding of society, where the economic base, characterized by capitalist ownership of the means of production, fundamentally shapes the political superstructure, including the state. A central aspect of Miliband’s analysis is the critique of pluralist theories, which posit that power in modern societies is dispersed among multiple competing interest groups and that the state functions as a neutral mediator. Pluralists like Robert Dahl argue that political power is widely distributed and that policy outcomes reflect bargaining and compromise among diverse social forces. Miliband challenged this view, asserting that the pluralist model overlooks the structural power inequalities inherent in capitalist societies. He argued that political institutions are dominated by elites who share common interests and values, often rooted in their economic and social positions. Consequently, the state, in practice, tends to serve the interests of a narrow, privileged section of society rather than the broader population. Miliband emphasized that the state’s apparent neutrality masks its actual function as a mechanism for the preservation of the capitalist system. He introduced the notion of the “instrumental” view of the state, which suggests that political power is exercised in a way that primarily serves the ruling class. While Miliband acknowledged that