Structural Marxism posits that the state functions to serve the long-term interests of the capitalist class. Building upon the works of Engels and Lenin, structural Marxists posit the idea that the state is a mechanism for regulating class conflict, the irreconcilable tension between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie.[4][5] By regulating these antagonisms rather than eliminating them—which Lenin thought was impossible without violent revolution[4]—the state serves to stabilize the capitalist system as a whole and preserve its existence.