Antonio Gramsci between ancient and modern imperialism

This chapter discusses Antonio Gramsci's views of imperialism and the comparison that during the 1920s and 1930s was frequently called between Fascist's Italy and Ancient Rome's expansionist policies. Gramsci was well aware that the myth of the Roman Empire had been used in order to launch a vigorous imperialist policy since the Risorgimento, and that throughout the last years this policy had been defended by the Fascist regime as a way to heal the plague caused by the emigration process and revive the greatness of Rome. As a Marxist, Gramsci refused every comparison between new and ancient forms of imperialism. The reasons for his refusal, however, went far beyond traditional economic-capitalistic factors, and were mainly concerned with what he considered the true legacy of the Roman Empire. In Gramsci's view, the Roman tradition, with its cosmopolitan and universal features, had to be recovered in order to launch a cultural (and not military) expansion in all modern societies that would have paved the way for the rising up of the man-work and the end of capitalism.