ABSTRACT
The Venetian aristocracy functioned both privately and collectively as members of a class of money-owners; at the same time, they functioned collectively as the state. This chapter elaborates on both facets of class power in the Venetian social formation, beginning with an exposition of the main features of the Venetian state power structure. The members of the different committees were generally elected by lot, the holding of an office being obligatory and always remunerated by a salary paid by the Commune. The Venetian economy and society were dominated, from the eleventh century or even earlier, by an ensemble of money-begetting relations of production and exploitation, without, however, having been transformed into a capitalist economy and society. The chapter takes a look at the role of guilds in the Venetian economy and society, an issue that can shed light on the prevailing class relations of exploitation and domination in the city state.
