Beyond the Soviet Paradigm.How Gramsci Reclaimed Marxism for History
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Antonio Gramsci’s interpretation of Marxism stands out for its sheer innovation. Rather than offering a simple explanation or a basic summary, he creatively adapted Marxist theory, expanding its vision to cover areas and social phenomena that had never been addressed before.
Gramsci's approach was deeply rooted in the Italian Marxist tradition, particularly through thinkers like Antonio Labriola and a young Benedetto Croce. Both of these pioneers were influenced by the German historical school led by Wilhelm Dilthey, who drew a sharp line between nature and humanity. Dilthey argued that the natural sciences require an empirical, experimental method, while the human sciences must rely on a historical method. This intellectual heritage became the defining feature of most of Gramsci’s theoretical work.
At the time, Soviet Marxism was famous for dividing Marxist theory into two separate parts: dialectical materialism and historical materialism. This orthodox view treated the Marxist outlook on nature as the very foundation of its historical view. As Joseph Stalin put it, historical materialism was simply "the application of the laws of dialectical materialism to the realm of history."
Gramsci strongly opposed this rigid, positivist limitation. He argued that any writings within Marxist philosophy regarding nature were merely leftover remnants of traditional, outdated materialist trends. Instead, he stressed that the defining feature of Marxism is that it is a "philosophy of praxis" (human practice)—and its true domain is history.
This perspective led Gramsci to separate the theoretical contributions of Karl Marx from those of Friedrich Engels, warning against the assumption that the two thinkers were always in perfect agreement. By making this distinction, Gramsci aimed to frame Engels’ concept of the "dialectics of nature" as a personal interpretation rather than a core component of Marxism itself. Furthermore, he wanted to critique the Jacobin-style tendency in Engels' thought, which assigned the state apparatus the primary role in driving social change—a top-down approach that later dominated the Second Socialist International.
Ultimately, Gramsci stands as the greatest innovator of Marxist thought since Vladimir Lenin.