Life Antonio Gramsci

1 life

1.1 life
1.2 turin
1.3 in communist party of italy
1.4 imprisonment , death

life
early life

antonio francesco gramsci born in ales, on island of sardinia, fourth of 7 sons of francesco gramsci (1860–1937). senior gramsci low-level official gaeta, married giuseppina marcias (1861–1932). gramsci s father of arbëreshë descent, though gramsci mistakenly believed father s family had left albania 1821. mother belonged local landowning family. senior gramsci s financial difficulties , troubles police forced family move through several villages in sardinia until settled in ghilarza.

in 1898 francesco convicted of embezzlement , imprisoned, reducing family destitution. young antonio had abandon schooling , work @ various casual jobs until father s release in 1904. boy, gramsci suffered health problems, particularly malformation of spine stunted growth (his adult height less 5 feet) , left him hunchbacked. decades, reported condition had been due childhood accident—specifically, having been dropped nanny—but more has been suggested due pott disease, form of tuberculosis can cause deformity of spine. gramsci plagued various internal disorders throughout life.

gramsci completed secondary school in cagliari, lodged elder brother gennaro, former soldier time on mainland had made him militant socialist. however, gramsci s sympathies did not lie socialism, rather grievances of impoverished sardinian peasants , miners. perceived neglect result of privileges enjoyed rapidly industrialising north, , tended turn growing sardinian nationalism, brutally repressed troops italian mainland, response.

turin

university of turin: rectorate

in 1911, gramsci won scholarship study @ university of turin, sitting exam @ same time palmiro togliatti. @ turin, read literature , took keen interest in linguistics, studied under matteo bartoli. gramsci in turin going through industrialization, fiat , lancia factories recruiting workers poorer regions. trade unions became established, , first industrial social conflicts started emerge. gramsci frequented socialist circles associating sardinian emigrants on italian mainland. worldview shaped both earlier experiences in sardinia , environment on mainland. gramsci joined italian socialist party in late 1913, later occupy key position , observe turin russian revolutionary process.

although showing talent studies, gramsci had financial problems , poor health. growing political commitment, these led abandoning education in 1915. time, had acquired extensive knowledge of history , philosophy. @ university, had come contact thought of antonio labriola, rodolfo mondolfo, giovanni gentile, , importantly, benedetto croce, possibly respected italian intellectual of day. labriola propounded brand of hegelian marxism labelled philosophy of praxis . although gramsci later used phrase escape prison censors, relationship current of thought ambiguous throughout life.

from 1914 onward, gramsci s writings socialist newspapers such il grido del popolo earned him reputation notable journalist. in 1916, became co-editor of piedmont edition of avanti!, socialist party official organ. articulate , prolific writer of political theory, gramsci proved formidable commentator, writing on aspects of turin s social , political life.

gramsci was, @ time, involved in education , organisation of turin workers; spoke in public first time in 1916 , gave talks on topics such romain rolland, french revolution, paris commune, , emancipation of women. in wake of arrest of socialist party leaders followed revolutionary riots of august 1917, gramsci became 1 of turin s leading socialists when both elected party s provisional committee , made editor of il grido del popolo.

in april 1919, togliatti, angelo tasca , umberto terracini, gramsci set weekly newspaper l ordine nuovo (the new order). in october same year, despite being divided various hostile factions, socialist party moved large majority join third international. l ordine nuovo group seen vladimir lenin closest in orientation bolsheviks, , received backing against anti-parliamentary programme of left communist amadeo bordiga.

among tactical debates within party, gramsci s group distinguished advocacy of workers councils, had come existence in turin spontaneously during large strikes of 1919 , 1920. gramsci, these councils proper means of enabling workers take control of task of organising production. although believed position @ time in keeping lenin s policy of power soviets , stance these italian councils communist, rather 1 organ of political struggle against bourgeoisie, attacked bordiga betraying syndicalist tendency influenced thought of georges sorel , daniel deleon. time of defeat of turin workers in spring 1920, gramsci alone in defence of councils.

in communist party of italy

julia schucht sons

the failure of workers councils develop national movement convinced gramsci communist party in leninist sense needed. group around l ordine nuovo declaimed incessantly against italian socialist party s centrist leadership , allied bordiga s far larger abstentionist faction. on 21 january 1921, in town of livorno (leghorn), communist party of italy (partito comunista d italia – pci) founded. gramsci supported against bordiga arditi del popolo, militant anti-fascist group struggled against blackshirts.

gramsci leader of party inception subordinate bordiga, emphasis on discipline, centralism , purity of principles dominated party s programme until lost leadership in 1924.

in 1922, gramsci travelled russia representative of new party. here, met julia schucht, young violinist whom married in 1923 , whom had 2 sons, delio (born 1924) , giuliano (born 1926). gramsci never saw second son.

antonio gramsci commemorative plaque, mokhovaya street 16, moscow. inscription reads in building in 1922–1923 worked eminent figure of international communism , labor movement , founder of italian communist party antonio gramsci.

the russian mission coincided advent of fascism in italy, , gramsci returned instructions foster, against wishes of pci leadership, united front of leftist parties against fascism. such front ideally have had pci @ centre, through moscow have controlled leftist forces, others disputed potential supremacy: socialists did have tradition in italy, too, while communist party seemed relatively young , radical. many believed eventual coalition led communists have functioned remotely political debate, , have run risk of isolation.

in late 1922 , 1923, benito mussolini s government embarked on campaign of repression against opposition parties, arresting of pci leadership, including bordiga. @ end of 1923, gramsci travelled moscow vienna, tried revive party torn factional strife.

in 1924 gramsci, recognised head of pci, gained election deputy veneto. started organizing launch of official newspaper of party, called l unità (unity), living in rome while family stayed in moscow. @ lyon congress in january 1926, gramsci s theses calling united front restore democracy italy adopted party.

in 1926, joseph stalin s manoeuvres inside bolshevik party moved gramsci write letter comintern in deplored opposition led leon trotsky underlined presumed faults of leader. togliatti, in moscow representative of party, received letter, opened it, read it, , decided not deliver it. caused difficult conflict between gramsci , togliatti never resolved.

imprisonment , death

gramsci s grave @ cimitero acattolico in rome

on 9 november 1926, fascist government enacted new wave of emergency laws, taking pretext alleged attempt on mussolini s life several days earlier. fascist police arrested gramsci, despite parliamentary immunity, , brought him roman prison regina coeli.

at trial, gramsci s prosecutor stated, twenty years must stop brain functioning . received immediate sentence of 5 years in confinement on island of ustica , following year received sentence of 20 years imprisonment in turi, near bari.

over 11 years in prison, health deteriorated: teeth fell out, digestive system collapsed not eat solid food... had convulsions when vomited blood, , suffered headaches violent beat head against walls of cell.

an international campaign, organised piero sraffa @ cambridge university , gramsci s sister-in-law tatiana, mounted demand gramsci s release. in 1933 moved prison @ turi clinic @ formia, still being denied adequate medical attention. 2 years later moved quisisana clinic in rome. due release on 21 april 1937 , planned retire sardinia convalescence, combination of arteriosclerosis, pulmonary tuberculosis, high blood pressure, angina, gout , acute gastric disorders meant ill move. gramsci died on 27 april 1937, @ age of 46. ashes buried in cimitero acattolico (non-catholic cemetery) in rome.