Marx argued that the state is an instrument of class oppression used by the bourgeoisie to maintain control over the proletariat. He posited that following the proletarian revolution and the establishment of a classless society, the need for a coercive state apparatus would vanish. Consequently, the state would lose its functional purpose and 'wither away' as society transitions into a stateless, communist order where administration is focused on things rather than people.

Marx viewed the proletarian state as a temporary, transitional phase following the revolution. Its primary purpose is to dismantle the capitalist apparatus and socialize the means of production. Once the classless society is fully realized, the state, having lost its function as an instrument of class oppression, is expected to wither away.

While Marx is famously associated with economic determinism, the provided answer key selects 'Social factor'. This may be interpreted as a reference to the 'social relations of production' which Marx argued are the base of society. However, standard Marxist theory emphasizes the economic base (mode of production) as the primary influence. This answer is accepted as per the provided key, though it reflects a broader interpretation of social structures.

In his 'Address of the Central Committee to the Communist League' (1850), Marx advocated for the concept of 'permanent revolution.' He argued that the working class should not stop at the bourgeois-democratic stage of revolution but should push forward to ensure the revolution continues until the proletariat achieves political power and the abolition of class-based society.

Socialists emphasize the economic dimensions of justice, focusing on the distribution of wealth and resources within a society. This perspective highlights the importance of economic equality and fairness in achieving social justice. By critiquing the concentration of capital and advocating for collective or state-managed distribution, socialists argue that economic stability and the elimination of exploitation are essential components of a truly just political system.

In Marxian philosophy, dialectics is the study of contradictions within reality. It posits that change occurs through the conflict of opposing forces—the thesis and the antithesis—which eventually resolve into a new synthesis. This dynamic process explains how social and economic systems evolve over time, as internal contradictions inevitably lead to structural transformations and the emergence of new social orders.

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, a French anarchist, coined the phrase 'property is theft' in his 1840 work 'What is Property?'. He argued that property, specifically in the form of land and capital, allows owners to exploit the labor of others by extracting surplus value, thus rendering the accumulation of such property inherently unjust.

Ralph Miliband, a prominent Marxist scholar, authored 'Marxism and Politics' in 1977. In this work, he provides a comprehensive analysis of the Marxist understanding of the state, political power, and the role of political institutions within capitalist societies. Miliband's work is essential for understanding the instrumentalist view of the state in Marxist political theory.

Marxian theory posits that class struggle is an inherent, objective reality of capitalism, not merely a 'need' or a choice. Therefore, stating that Marxists 'stress the need for conflict' is often considered a mischaracterization, as they view conflict as an inevitable outcome of material conditions rather than a strategic requirement they advocate for to achieve their goals.

Marxists argue that the internal contradictions of capitalism, specifically the drive to maximize profit by suppressing wages, lead to under-consumption. As workers' purchasing power declines, the system faces crises of overproduction, which Marxists believe will eventually lead to the collapse of the capitalist order and the rise of a socialist state.