# A General Formula for Revolution By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-06-15 Antonio Gramsci was an Italian Marxist philosopher. He was a critic of Benito Mussolini and fascism. Mussolini had Gramsci imprisoned in 1926 and remained in prison until his death in 1937. Gramsci wrote more than 30 notebooks while in prison. These were posthumously published as the _Prison Notebooks_. In discussing feudalism, he examined that once military strategy and capability were no longer the exclusive domain of the elite, the system was no longer accepted as valid. The way he phrased this insight has broad applicability if the specifics are omitted and replaced with a blank for input (sort of like a revolutionary Mad Lib). Thus formed, the statement reads: It is precisely from the moment at which the <_insert the established authority_> loses its monopoly of <_insert the technical basis of authority_> that the crisis of <_insert legitimating ideology_> begins. Thus formed, one can insert and explain. A few examples could be useful. It is precisely from the moment at which the religious authority loses its monopoly of scientific knowledge that the crisis of theocracy begins. Or it is precisely from the moment at which the monarchy loses its monopoly of trade and commerce that the crisis of mercantilism begins. And lastly, it is precisely from the moment the hierarchy of organizational management loses its monopoly of decision-making that the crisis of plutocracy begins. This could be extended indefinitely. There are two critical points to take away from this. First, Gramsci wrote about a specific example. It is beneficial to be able to read and abstract. His one-sentence explanation of the feudal system provided the basis for a powerful general formula for revolution. Reading is not simply about understanding but also utility. Second, established authority rests on exclusion. To transform the power structure, one must democratize the basis of authority. That is truly revolutionary. #### Related Items [[Revolution]] [[Strategy]] [[Government]] [[Authority]] [[Power]] [[Exclusion]] [[Ideology]]