In the course of the neoliberal counter-revolution, the state was often referred to as a model that was running out of steam. Other theorists, such as Ulrich Beck and Jürgen Habermas, also proclaimed the end of the nation-state within the framework of the EU. Meanwhile, the role of the state has come back into sharper focus. Frank Deppe addresses the concept of the modern state, the fundamental features of bourgeois state theories since Thomas Hobbes and his successors, the state theory of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, as well as the differentiation of Marxist state debates in the 20th century. At the same time, he outlines the important current trends in the relationship between state, economy, and society. He also addresses the question of how the structures of today's world order, the contradictions of global financial market capitalism, and the struggles against austerity policies function and interact.