The Machiavellian Marxism of Althusser and Gramsci

This paper compares two Marxist interpretations of Machiavelli in order to better understand why, twice over, Marxists have returned to Machiavelli. I argue that Antonio Gramsci and Louis Althusser, the authors of the interpretations discussed here, both find resources in Machiavelli's work for the development of a non-deterministic Marxism that emphasises the role of political practice in enacting transitions between social forms.

Available online: Décalages (Accessed December 21, 2016)