Gramsci on Civil Society

«Political theorist Antonio Gramsci is famous for his thorough analysis of civil society in his 'Prison Notebooks.' In the wake of the Cold War's end, scholars resurrected Gramsci's views on civil society to explain the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. However applicable Gramsci's views may be on the events in Eastern Europe, scholars should take note that he also critiqued the liberal/democratic state. This becomes a particularly powerful argument against the complacency of peoples and the lack of opposition to governmental excess everywhere.» Reprinted in Antonio Gramsci: Critical Assessments (2002), v. II.