摘要：The author emphasizes the significance of the legacy of the past which in all periods of radical change greatly restricts the elbow room of political protagonists but at the same time enables them to work out their programmes in relation to that legacy. One of the most important elements of the legacy of political development of the last two hundred years is the state as we know it. The state is a non-abolishable institution which (particularly in the 20th century) has achieved contrary results: on the one hand, it has been the breeding pit of conflicts, destruction and large-scale repression, while on the other it contributed immensely to the development of society. Leftist parties cannot negate the state but can develop some new mechanisms of controlling it. The author is of the opinion that the new developments will be threefold: the deconcentration of the state apparatus, the professionalization and reduction of armies and the ensuing changes, and the integration of the state in supranational organizations.
