Crisis and Response: Gramsci’s Analysis, 1915–26

Abstract

Within the space of ten years, Antonio Gramsci had articulated with profound optimism a vision of socialist revolution arising from the ashes of Italy’s postwar crisis, only later to witness the crushing of the workers’ movement and the collapse of the Left under the tide of Fascist reaction. In 1926 Gramsci himself fell victim to this disastrous turn of events when he was arrested by Mussolini’s police and later sentenced to twenty years’ imprisonment.

Socialism has become the one ideal which unites the Italian people. Socialism has become the consciousness which unites the Italian people. Millions of Italians have become men, have become citizens, because there was an idea — the idea of socialism — which shook them up, and made them think, and taught them to transcend the abject and degrading condition they found themselves in.

Gramsci, ‘Il socialismo e l’Italia’ (1917c)

Very great errors may be committed (and unfortunately they have been comitted), even without willing it, because the situation is different from region to region and for it to be controlled and directed a great party accustomed to systematic work would be required, one which would be capable of responding within all its constitutive elements to impulses from the centre.

Gramsci, Letter to Julca (1924f).