Abstract
Antonio Gramsci is without doubt, a spiritual follower of Marxism. Drawing the consequences of his experiences of worker's movements and communist party politics, as well as of his numerous readings and philosophical influences, he has greatly contributed to the evolution of Marxist thought in the 20th century. However, he developed a theory in contrast with the traditional Marxist current of thought. By shifting his attention from the Marxist focus on economics, towards a theory in which humans play an active role, Gramsci has revived the role of politics, and more generally of society, in Marxist political thinking. But more than an analyst of capitalist society and of historical phenomena, he was first and foremost a theorist of revolution. What role does social cohesion and consent play in Gramsci's theory? Social cohesion refers to the way in which norms and values help to hold the society together, whereas social consent relates with the way in which agreement is reached. Both these notions are closely related with the sphere of politics, as they help to understand how political power can be achieved and maintained.
