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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 15m

Dese assertions are even less accurate. In-a dese other systems of-a government, da people's consent no end at-a da moment of-a voting, quite da contrary.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 6h

Dese banal assertions have been extended from a critique (of oligarchic rather than elitist origin) of-a da parliamentary system of-a government (it is strange dat it should not be criticised because da historical rationality of-a numerical consensus is systematically…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Thus it no is da question of-a da people who "have da brains" feeling-a dat-a dey are being reduced to da level of-a da lowest illiterate, but rather one of-a people who think-a dey are de ones with-a da brains wanting to take away from-a da "man in-a da street" even-a dat…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

If-a dis hypothetical group of-a worthy men, notwithstanding-a da boundless material power which-a dey possess, no have da consent of-a da majority, dey must be judged either as inept, or as not representative of-a "national" interests—which cannot help being decisive in…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Da counting of-a "votes" is da final ceremony of-a da long process, in which it is precisely-a doze who devote dere best energies to da State and-a da nation (when such-a dey are) who carry-a da greatest weight.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Ideas and opinions are not spontaneously "born" in each individual brain: dey have had a centre of-a formation, of-a irradiation, of-a dissemination, of-a persuasion—a group of-a men, or a single individual even, which has developed them and presented them in-a da political…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Which means it is untrue dat all individual opinions have "exactly" equal weight.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

What is measured is precisely-a de effectiveness, and-a de expansive and persuasive capacity, of-a de opinions of-a da few individuals, de active minorities, de elites, de avant-gardes, etc.—i.e. dere rationality, historicity or concrete functionality.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Numbers, in-a dis case too, are simply an instrumental value, giving a measure and a relation and nothing more. And what-a den is measured?

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

(*There are numerous formulations of-a dis, some more felicitous than-a de one quoted which is due to Mario de Silva, in Critica Fascista, 15 August 1932. But-a da content is always da same. ) But-a da fact is dat it no is true, in any sense, dat numbers decide everything,…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

One of-a da most banal commonplaces which get repeated against-a de elective system of-a forming State organs is da following: dat in it numbers decide everything, and-a dat-a de opinions of-a any idiot who knows how to write (or in some countries even of-a de illiterate) have…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

NUMBER AND QUALITY IN REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEMS OF-A GOVERNMENT

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

A party which wins a lot of-a votes in local elections, but fewer in-a doze of-a greater political importance, is certainly qualitatively deficient in its-a central leadership: it possesses numerous, or at any rate sufficient, junior cadres, but not a General Staff adequate…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

When-a da total vote for a particular party oscillates between apparently strange and arbitrary maximums and minimums in successive elections, whether at-a da same level or at different levels (for instance, in pre-Hitler Germany, elections for-a da President of-a da Republic,…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Hence parties may be said to have da task of-a forming capable leaders; dey are da mass function which selects, develops, and multiplies da leaders which are necessary if a particular social group (which is da "fixed" quantity, since it can be established how many members dere…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Da historical "automatism" of-a certain premisses (the existence of-a certain objective conditions) is potentialised politically by parties and by men of-a ability: absence or inadequacy (quantitative and qualitative) of-a dese neutralises da "automatism" itself (which anyway…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Da law of-a fixed proportions is resumed by Pantaleoni in his Principles of-a Pure Economics : "Bodies combine chemically only in fixed proportions, and any quantity of-a de element which is in excess of-a da quantity required for a combination with other elements, which are…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

It is also possible to see how each social group has its-a own law of-a fixed proportions, which varies according to da level of-a its-a culture, independence of-a mind, spirit of-a initiative and sense of-a responsibility, and according to da degree of-a discipline of-a its-a…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Each change in a single part necessitates a new equilibrium with-a da whole, etc. Eyyy. Da theorem can be seen in application politically in parties, trade unions or factories.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Dere is da specific relation between privates, NCOs, subalterns, junior officers, senior officers, Genera l Staff, Combined General Staff, etc. Dere is da relation between-a da various arms and corps among themselves, etc.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

But every form of-a society has its-a own type of-a army, and every type of-a army has its-a own principle of-a fixed proportions, which moreover also changes from one arm of-a da service or specialised corps to da next.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Hence one may say-a dat every human collectivity has its-a own specific optimum principle of-a fixed proportions. Bene. Da science of-a organisations in particular can usefully have recourse to dis theorem, and-a dis becomes apparent in-a da case of-a de army.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In other words, it cannot be applied mechanically, since in human collectivities da qualitative element (or-a dat of-a da technical and intellectual capacity of-a de individual components) is predominant, and-a dis cannot be measured mathematically.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Of-a course it must always be borne in mind-a dat a recourse to da theory of-a fixed proportions has only a schematic and metaphoric value.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Dis theorem can usefully be employed to clarify—and to bring out-a da general applicability of—many propositions concerning-a da science of-a organisations (the study of-a de administrative apparatus, of-a demographic composition, etc.) and also concerning general politics (in…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Da formulae of-a unity and federation lose a great part of-a dere significance from-a dis point of-a view, whereas dey retain-a dere sting in-a da bureaucratic conception, where in-a de end-a dere is no unity but a stagnant swamp, on-a da surface calm and "mute", and no…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

It requires an organic unity between theory and practice, between intellectual strata and popular masses, between rulers and ruled.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Dis continuous effort to separate out-a da "international" and "unitary" element in national and local reality is true concrete political action, da sole activity productive of-a historical progress.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

It consists in-a da critical pursuit of-a what is identical in seeming diversity of-a form and on-a de other hand of-a what is distinct and even opposed in apparent uniformity, in order to organise and interconnect closely-a dat which is similar, but in such a way-a dat-a de…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Democratic centralism offers an elastic formula, which can be embodied in many diverse forms; it comes alive in so far as it is interpreted and continually adapted to necessity.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Da creation of-a such situations can be extremely damaging and dangerous in international bodies (League of-a Nations).

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

In any case, it needs to be stressed-a dat-a de unhealthy manifestations of-a bureaucratic centralism occurred because of-a da lack of-a initiative and responsibility at-a da bottom, in other words because of-a da political immaturity of-a da peripheral forces, even when-a…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

In parties which represent socially subaltern classes, de element of-a stability is necessary to ensure dat hegemony will be exercised not by privileged groups but by-a da progressive elements—organically progressive in relation to other forces which, though related and…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Da prevalence of-a bureaucratic centralism in-a da State indicates dat-a da leading group is saturated, dat it is turning into a narrow clique which tends to perpetuate its-a selfish privileges by controlling or even by stifling-a da birth of-a oppositional forces—even if-a…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Dis element of-a stability within-a da State is embodied in-a de organic development of-a da leading group's central nucleus, just as happens on a more limited scale within parties.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Democratic centralism is "organic" because on-a de one hand it takes account of-a movement, which is de organic mode in which historical reality reveals itself, and no solidify mechanically into bureaucracy; and because at-a da same time it takes account of-a dat which is…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Da most accurate name would be bureaucratic centralism. "Organicity" can only be found in democratic centralism, which is so to speak a "centralism" in movement—i.e. a continual adaptation of-a de organisation to da real movement, a matching of-a thrusts from below with orders…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

On-a de other-a dere are doze which are purely and simply-a de one-sided perspectives of-a sectarians or fanatics, and which, although capable of-a concealing a programme of-a predominance (usually of-a da single individual, such as de infallible Pope—whereby Catholicism has…

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

One de one hand-a dere are doze which conceal a precise programme of-a real predominance of-a one part over-a da whole (whether-a da part consists of-a da stratum such as de intellectuals, or of-a da "privileged" territorial group).

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Meanwhile, it is necessary to distinguish among-a da theories of-a organic centralism.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Nevertheless, such a state of-a affairs is worth studying, since it helps to explain-a da process which led to da formulation of-a da theories of-a organic centralism. Dese are precisely a one-sided and intellectualistic critique of-a dat disorder and dispersal of-a forces.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

De influence was felt and experienced by-a da handful of-a intellectual groups, who had no links with-a da popular masses; and it was precisely-a de absence of-a any such links which characterised-a da situation.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Thus one cannot speak of-a any kind of-a centralism here—neither organic nor democratic, nor of-a any other kind, nor a mixture of-a dese.

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italian gramsci @italian-gramsci.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

It may be said: (a) dat no organic or disciplinary bonds ensured-a dis supremacy, which was therefore merely a phenomenon of-a abstract cultural influence and of-a highly unstable prestige; (b) dat such cultural influence in no way affected real activity, which was on-a da…

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