- A repressive state apparatus is the conceptual, economic and literal tools a government uses to keep its ideology dominant. Althusser calls them repressive due to their use as a way to keep society in order through ensuring dissent can cause social or economic ruin to an individual, being forceful through their societal abuse. His word choice also seems to exacerbate how the repressive system is much more forceful, actively ruining your life socially or entirely if you refuse to comply.
- Ideological apparatus are the much less violent way to force compliance, through the use of mass media, upbringing, and propaganda. They cause the individual to doubt any attempt to resist the state or its apparatus, when a child grows up only knowing that the government can do no wrong it causes the child to doubt how evil the state can truly be.
- The Repressive state apparatus is different from the Ideological apparatus due to the Repressive state apparatus being a cause of direct harm onto the person socially, economically or physically. The best example of which being unable to afford housing, being beaten by police for committing a crime, or being socially outcasted. However an Ideological apparatus causes the individual to doubt their actions of resistance, believing that it’s pointless, too dangerous, or not even thinking about the situation they’re in beyond what they already know. The Ideological apparatus functions as an almost propagandized life, not knowing that things are wrong and can be changed, while the Repressive state apparatus stops those who attempt to actively fight back.
An example of Ideological Apparatus, it states “Young Builders of communism, forward to new successes in work and study!” attaching the idea of the state ideology to education and success in the younger generations.
An example of a Repressive State Apparatus, which causes physical harm and forces the idea of social nonconformity to the state.
