On Gramsci’s Theory Of "Ideological" Leadership

Ideological leadership is the core idea of Gramsci,the founder of Western Marxism.Faced with the fact that the Russian October Revolution was victorious,but the socialist revolutions in Western Europe failed to succeed,Gramsci thought through the analysis of the Eastern and Western revolutions.In Western society,there is a mature "civil society" whose cultural life and political life are relatively independent.The ruling class not only uses political coercion to rule the people,but also executes its will through ideology.Therefore,it is not enough to just destroy the cloak of the political state.The key is to obtain the ideological leadership of "civil society".Ideology is a system composed of a series of values,and it is the political concept,behavioral norms and value identification standards that shape the way of thinking of people by a specific social community,and it embodies the political and economic interests of the social community.Ideology can be transformed into material power through the ideological state apparatus,which has the function of realizing the reproduction of production relations,reducing the cost of social governance,and improving social cohesion.Ideological leadership is concentrated in the dominance,orientation and innovation of ideology,and its nature is a kind of soft power.Gramsci’s thought on ideological leadership is a relatively complete theoretical system,including various concepts such as "practical philosophy",organic intellectuals,"civil society",and "positional warfare".Among them,practical philosophy is the theoretical basis,organic intellectuals are the subject,civil society is the object field of practice,and "positional warfare" is the way to realize it.Gramsci’s thought was formed under the influence of comprehensive factors such as revolutionary practice,social conditions,and the background of the times.Its theory originated from native Italian thinkers,Marx,Lenin and contemporary Marxists.Any kind of classical theory has unique contributions and limitations.Gramsci’s theory of ideological leadership has developed Marxist theory of revolution and ideology,and provided the basis for later studies on ideology.However,his theory itself has certain limitations.It is an unfinished political thought that cannot transcend its era background.