Class, Crisis and the State

One of the major works of the new American Marxism, Wright’s book draws a challenging new class map of the United States and other, comparable, advanced capitalist countries today. It also discusses the various classical theories of economic crisis in the West and their relevance to the current recession, and contrasts the way in which the major political problem of bureaucracy was confronted by two great antagonists—Weber and Lenin. A concluding essay brings together the practical lessons of these theoretical analyses, in an examination of the problems of left governments coming to power in capitalist states.“A brilliant analysis of the class structure and crises of US capitalism.”—Choice

“This book ... is an important contribution to current debates.”—Anthony Giddens, American Journal of Sociology

“On the basis of this book Wright stands high among Western Marxists.”—Ethics

“An important contribution to the debates on class, capitalist crises, bureaucracy and the state.”—Library JournalErik Olin Wright (1947–2019) was Vilas Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin and former president of the American Sociological Association. He authored many books, including Classes, Interrogating Inequality, Class Counts, Deepening Democracy (with Archon Fung), and Envisioning Real Utopias.