The article wishes to contribute to the rehabilitation of Marxism from the charges that it is the ideology of state domination through the presentation of the history of Lassalle's state socialism ideas (and some of his followers') and through the sharp criticism of that notion by Marxism.

The authors make an attempt to explain the current processes from he point of view of formation theory. Examining the possibilities of a post-capitalist society (and in this regard with optimism) they try to explain at least in connection with certain issues why was it necessary – and in contrast to the general public notion how and why did it come organically from East Europe's social conditions – that the foundations of a society denying capitalism were laid down.

There has been a debate whether the contemporary Western countries are capitalist class states, or are above classes – representing the common interests of the capitalists and the workers. On the basis of a functional analysis, the study comes to the conclusion that the governments simultaneously represent capitalist accumulation, charity, social interests as well as political interests serving social peace and their own administrative interests. As a result of this various functions are mixed in the price-, income-, and employment policy: their origin and development become confused.