The Epstein class exposed how the ruling class rules

Marxist Theory · 2026-05-29

Core Argument¶

The article argues that the Epstein files provide an unprecedented window into how the capitalist class actually rules — not through a single conspiracy, but through a dense, interconnected network of mutual self-interest that binds together billionaires, diplomats, intelligence operatives, academics, and organised crime. The central claim is that Epstein was not an aberration but a functional node in the ruling class ecosystem: a "fixer" who moved between finance capital, state power, and criminality, facilitating the reproduction of class rule. The files expose that the state is not a neutral arbiter but an instrument of class domination, and that the "democratic" forms of capitalist society are a veneer over a system that is structurally corrupt, violent, and unreformable. The conclusion is unequivocal: the entire system must be "burned to the ground."

Theoretical Grounding¶

The analysis is rooted in the classical Marxist theory of the state as developed by Marx, Engels, and Lenin. It draws directly on The Communist Manifesto's formulation that the executive of the modern state is "a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie," and on Marx's argument in The Civil War in France that the working class cannot simply take hold of the ready-made state machinery but must smash it. Lenin's 1918 article 'Democracy' and Dictatorship is invoked to argue that even the most democratic capitalist state remains a dictatorship of capital.

The article also deploys the Marxist concept of class consciousness — not as a revolutionary consciousness among workers, but as a shared, tacit understanding among the ruling class that transcends political differences. Epstein's network is presented as the material embodiment of this class consciousness: a social fabric through which wealth and power move, not by prearranged plan but through the chaotic, self-interested pursuit of individual advantage that nonetheless converges on the preservation of class rule.

The analysis sits firmly in the Leninist tradition, rejecting any possibility of reforming the capitalist state. It treats the Epstein files as empirical confirmation of what Marxist theory has always held: that corruption, criminality, and violence are not bugs but features of capitalist rule.

Conjunctural Relevance¶

The article was published in May 2026, following the release of millions of Epstein files. It situates the scandal within a broader pattern of ruling-class exposure — the Panama Papers (2016), the Paradise Papers (2017), the Spycops scandal, the Jimmy Savile case, and the threats by British generals to disobey a Corbyn government. These are presented not as isolated incidents but as fragments of a continuous process.

The article is specific about the geopolitical and economic forces at work. It identifies the post-Soviet era of "globalisation" as the context in which borders became optional for capital and tax avoidance became systematic. It names specific institutions — Glencore, Apollo Global Management, Rothschild Group — and specific individuals: Peter Thiel, Steve Bannon, Ehud Barak, Noam Chomsky, Steven Pinker. It traces Epstein's role in facilitating imperialism through Israeli intelligence contacts, security infrastructure deals in Ivory Coast and Mongolia, port takeovers in Nigeria, and oil bond speculation in Venezuela.

The article also connects Epstein's operations to the contemporary dynamics of British politics: Brexit is identified as a money-making opportunity for asset-strippers like Epstein and Thiel, and the "culture war" is understood as a mechanism for creating profitable instability. The reference to Tommy Robinson and Boris Johnson situates the analysis within the current conjuncture of right-wing populism and imperialist realignment.

Where the Argument Continues¶

The article is a synthetic piece that draws together themes developed across the In Defence of Marxism corpus. The theory of the state as an instrument of class rule is elaborated in numerous IDOM articles on the nature of bourgeois democracy, the limits of reformism, and the necessity of revolutionary strategy. The critique of "democratic" illusions is a recurring theme in the journal's coverage of elections, constitutional crises, and state repression.

The article does not develop the strategic implications of its conclusion — what it means in practice to "burn it to the ground." This is where the argument continues into the broader Marxist tradition: Lenin's State and Revolution, Trotsky's Whither France?, and the RCI's own programme for workers' power and the smashing of the capitalist state. The article's focus is on exposure and analysis; the question of revolutionary organisation and the transition to socialism is left implicit.

Connections¶

Lenin, 'Democracy' and Dictatorship (1918) — directly cited as the theoretical framework for understanding bourgeois democracy as a form of class rule.
Marx and Engels, The Communist Manifesto — the classical formulation of the state as a committee of the bourgeoisie.
Marx, The Civil War in France — the argument that the working class must smash the state machinery.
Lenin, State and Revolution — the definitive Marxist text on the nature of the state and the necessity of its destruction.
Trotsky, Whither France? — an analysis of how the bourgeois state operates in crisis conditions, relevant to understanding the "backrooms" of power.
IDOM articles on the Panama Papers, Paradise Papers, and Spycops scandal — earlier treatments of ruling-class exposure that this article synthesises and extends.
Against the Stream episodes on the Epstein case — likely to provide further discussion of the strategic implications and the role of the files in class struggle.

Key Quotes¶

"The significance of the Epstein files is that they reveal the process as a continuous, interconnected whole. They show us the social fabric through which wealth and power move."
"The files show us an intricate ruling-class ecosystem, not so much machine-like and conspiratorial, more like a thick, lawless forest. It has its well-trodden paths and regular routes. But it also has darker, more obscure corners, inhabited by all manner of poisonous and dangerous creatures."
"The Epstein class is not drawn together by a prearranged conspiracy, but by ties of mutual self-interest. For all their diverse views, they draw towards a common understanding by a shared class consciousness."
"The files reveal to us what modern imperialism looks like in the flesh – not operating through boots on the ground, but through bankers and ambassadors."
"Even the most democratic society, with constituent assemblies and general elections, remains a dictatorship of capital as long as the bourgeoisie rules. That's because it's their system, no matter how many 'democratic' niceties are introduced."
"This forest cannot be reformed. It is poisoned from the roots upwards. Cutting back a few trees here, or planting a few flowers there, will make no fundamental difference. The whole thing, the entire ruling class and its system, must be burned to the ground."