The critique of the theory of class struggle by K. Papaioannou

Abstract

This article examines Kostas Papaioannou’s systematic critique of Karl Marx’s theory of class struggle across his major works, including Marx and Marxism, The Genesis of Totalitarianism, and State and Philosophy. The author highlights Papaioannou’s observation that Marx did not present a unified theory but rather at least three distinct versions—found in the Communist Manifesto, The Poverty of Philosophy, and the Grundrisse—which varied between economic monism and the recognition of extra-economic factors like war and technology. Class struggle is analyzed not as an absolute historical law but as a relative phenomenon, often superseded by national or religious conflicts. A central theme is Papaioannou's description of the "new class"—the state bureaucracy—which emerges from a monopoly of political power rather than traditional economic ownership, illustrating a paradoxical verification of Marxist class theory within the Soviet model.