Gramsci’s Theory Of Civil Society

As one of the founders of the Italian Communist Party, Gramsci is the famous Western Marxism theorist of the 20th century. His core idea, especially the civil society theory is based on the summary and reflection of the proletarian revolutionary in European from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Established on the basis of practical philosophy, Gramsci’s civil society theory is the cornerstone of Western Marxism’s cultural criticism, which promotes the development of Marxism’s theory and practice. Taking civil society into the field of superstructure which belongs to category of ideology, Gramsci’s civil society theory emphasizes its social and cultural function and develops a new perspective.Based on Gramsci’s civil society theory, the article has studied its origin, development and influence systematically, which includes 4 parts. Firstly, the introduction mainly contains the purpose, significance, research status at home and abroad, theoretical basis, research ideas and methods, as well as the focus and challenges of this thesis. By analyzing Gramsci’s civil society theory comprehensively, the second part mainly studies the origin of its concept and reviews its development, which takes the formation, content, basic characteristic and social effects of civil society theory in particular. And then, the thesis has carried on comparative study between Gramsci’s civil society theory and Marx’s civil society theory, which points out their main differences including formation backgrounds, concepts, theoretical perspectives, and paths to explore the demise of states. At last, the social impact of Gramsci’s civil society theory has been reflected.As the most creative Marxist theorist in 20th century’s, Gramsci’s civil society theory and his whole idea played a significant role to affect and promote the development of Western Marxist theory. Based on Gramsci’s civil society theory, the analysis and research could also enlighten the construction of Chinese socialist ideology and the promotion of party’s ruling ability.