Etymology

withering away of the state

Today it means: The proposed situation where, in a classless society, people govern themselves as a commune without needing a government or law enforcement. Full definition →

German der Staat wird nicht „abgeschafft“, er stirbt ab
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The story

  1. German · calque ofder Staat wird nicht „abgeschafft“, er stirbt ab“the state is not "abolished", it atrophies”
  2. English todaywithering away of the state

Coined by Friedrich Engels in 1878 for his work, "Anti-Dühring", from Calque of German der Staat wird nicht „abgeschafft“, er stirbt ab (“the state is not "abolished", it atrophies”)

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.