▁as ▁a ▁class - based ▁power ▁structure ▁whose ▁main ▁function ▁was ▁to ▁preserve ▁existing ▁class ▁structures , ▁therefore ▁L ass alle ▁also ▁rejected ▁the ▁Marx ist ▁view ▁that ▁the ▁state ▁was ▁dest ined ▁to ▁" w ither ▁away ". ▁L ass alle ▁considered ▁the ▁state ▁to ▁be ▁an ▁entity ▁independent ▁of ▁class ▁alleg ian ces ▁and ▁as ▁an ▁instrument ▁of ▁justice ▁that ▁would ▁therefore ▁be ▁essential ▁for ▁the ▁achiev ement ▁of ▁social ism . ▁ ▁Early ▁concepts ▁of ▁state ▁social ism ▁were ▁art ic ulated ▁by ▁an arch ist ▁and ▁libert arian ▁philosoph ers ▁who ▁opposed ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁the ▁state . ▁In ▁Stat ism ▁and ▁An archy , ▁Mik h ail ▁Bak un in ▁identified ▁a ▁statist ▁t endency ▁within ▁the ▁Marx ist ▁movement ▁which ▁he ▁contrast ed ▁to ▁libert arian ▁social ism ▁and ▁attributed ▁to ▁Marx ' s ▁philosophy . ▁Bak un in ▁predicted ▁that ▁Marx ' s ▁theory ▁of ▁transition ▁from ▁capital ism ▁to ▁social ism ▁involving ▁the ▁working ▁class ▁se izing ▁state ▁power ▁in ▁a ▁dict ator ship ▁of ▁the ▁pro let ariat ▁would ▁eventually ▁lead ▁to ▁an ▁us ur p ation ▁of ▁power ▁by ▁the ▁state ▁appar atus ▁acting ▁in ▁its ▁own ▁self - inter est , ▁us her ing ▁in ▁a ▁new ▁form ▁of ▁capital ism ▁rather ▁than ▁establish ing ▁social ism . ▁ ▁As ▁a ▁political ▁ide ology , ▁state ▁social ism ▁rose ▁to ▁prom in ence ▁during ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century ▁B ols he vik , ▁Len in ist ▁and ▁later ▁Marx ist