What is Government?

[Hexen]

I know that everyone around me blames the "Government" for the ills of society but what is it really and what is the true definition of Government and how it functions under capitalism?

I think I heard somewhere that Government is a 'shadow' of capitalism or basically a barrier/stronghold protecting the capitalists from workers. Is this correct?

[Widerstand]

What most people mean by 'government' is the ruling apparatus of the 'state', or more specifically the politicians in decision making positions (in the west, usually through legislative force).

The 'state', in Marxist terms, is an 'instrument of class rule'. It is a tool to protect the established modes of production and enforce the interests of the ruling class. Under capitalism, it does so in two ways: One is 'repression', in the form of police enforcement of property laws, silencing or active combating of dissenters, etc. The other is 'integration', ergo incorporating the oppressed class into the state apparatus through parliamentary participation, unions, welfare programs, etc.
Both together create a sense of legitimacy, where the broad public is both scared of taking a radical positions (because of repression) and has an illusion of control and rightfulness (because of integration).