A Critique of Bureaucracy

(Originally published in Cahiers internationaux de sociologie, 1953, 15.) An examination of Karl Marx's critique of the Hegelian concept of bureaucracy focuses on G. W. F. Hegel's empirical contention that the state's administration & bureaucracy are key to governmental power. At first, Marx's use of a different dialectic in developing Hegel's ideas reflects his lack of a clear concept of the nature of the state in general. In the second phase of his critique, Marx elaborates the formalist & spiritual aspects of the state's bureaucracy. Marx's analysis follows Hegel on issues of the bureaucracy-sovereignty relation & the bureaucratic structure. He also affirms Hegel's warning about civil society's need for protection against the ruling elites of bureaucracy's upper hierarchy. J. Sadler