One of the most striking and neglected arguments of Marx's political theory is that the state will be -transcended- or -wither away- with the development of communism. This work reconstructs Marx's thesis through a comprehensive analysis of various discussions by Marx from his early critique of Hegel through his mature work. The author concludes that the plausibility of the thesis crucially depends upon the specific institutional forms of the -transitional state- and the possibilities for transforming the social division of labor."