Differences between the state & government??

[Savant]

The title says all. I'd like to know the differences between the two. Anarchists oppose the state, however, does the state = the government???

Please use the K.I.S.S principle (Keep it simple stupid). I am a novice in the realm of politics & I want to understand as much as possible in a very clear manner. Also, please stay on-topic.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

I had the same question a while back...

http://www.revleft.com/vb/difference-between-state-t161326/index.html

[Peoples' War]

The bourgeois government, is part of the state.

The workers' government, is not.

What do you think happens to workers' councils when the state is ready to disappear?

[Ose]

Just in the same way that 'economy' refers to how the things we need and want are produced/acquired and distributed, rather that specifically to monetary systems, 'government' refers to the way in which society's affairs are managed, not necessarily to the state. Anarchists are opposed to capital and the state, but this does not mean they are opposed to economy and government, as these are not the same things. Capitalism is just one type of economy, and the state is just one kind of government.

When a state exists, it necessarily exists in opposition to 'the people', both conceptually and in terms of interest. If the interests of the state were concordant with those of the populace, the state as enforcer would be unnecessary. The state will never be our friend. However, government does not require a state. If we were to manage our own affairs in our own interest, that would still be a mode of government.

[L.A.P.]

The state is the entity that has a monopoly on the legitamite use of force (violence) over a certain region. At the core of it, the state are the police, military, courts, and basically all the things that Althusser would denote as the 'repressive state apparatus', all under the command of the government. The government is the bueracratic body that runs the state. The United States is the state, the Obama administration and the 112th Congress are the government.

[Savant]

The state is the entity that has a monopoly on the legitamite use of force (violence) over a certain region. At the core of it, the state are the police, military, courts, and basically all the things that Althusser would denote as the 'repressive state apparatus', all under the command of the government. The government is the bueracratic body that runs the state. The United States is the state, the Obama administration and the 112th Congress are the government.

This was the type of answer I was looking for. Although I don't know who/what "Althusser" is, I pretty much understand the basic idea of what your saying. Thanks for the simple response comrade!

[Sea]

The government is part of what makes up the state.

I've always seen the state as the entire sphere of politics in a country or group of countries; not just the official government(s), but also the influence of powerful businessmen, lobbyists, even blackmailers etc.

[L.A.P.]

Although I don't know who/what "Althusser" is, I pretty much understand the basic idea of what your saying.

Louis Althusser was a French philosopher who had some good insights on ideology.