Antonio Gramsci & Italian Fascism

The tumultuous years of early 20th century before the first world war witnessed massive social and political turmoil in Europe including Italy. On the one hand the workers tired from their exploitation by the capitalist and the industrialist class were fighting for their rights in hopes of bringing forth a revolution for a better life. On the other hand a counterrevolution was brewing in form of fascism that used everyday violence to crush any workers’ protests or movement. This is the story of one such revolutionary leader, Antonio Gramsci who despite severe health complications, fought tooth and nail for the workers and peasants of Italy in early 20th century only to be met with his greatest challenge in the form of the first ever fascist regime in the world- Benito Mussolini’s fascist government. From this struggle emerged the political and social treatise in the form of Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks. Watch this two part feature on Antonio Gramsci and Italian Fascism to know about Gramsci’s encounter with Fascism.

All information in this video is based on the introduction written by Quintin Hoare and Geoffery Nowell Smith who have co-translated and edited ‘Selections from the Prison Notebooks of Antonio Gramsci’.