Hegemony and Revolution: The Red Brigades’ Interpretation of Consensus

• In Event: Research in Five (Undergraduate Students)

Abstract

The Red Brigades, a Marxist-Leninist organization in Italy active in the 1970s that employed violence to subvert the existing social order, claimed to represent the interests of the working class, thereby questioning the rising support enjoyed by Italian syndicates and the Italian Communist Party. Yet the militants’ methods of communication, which range from dense theoretical documents to violent acts and tend to lack easily accessible explanations, suggest that gaining the support of the working class was not a priority. Furthermore, unlike the peaceful left-wing organization Lotta Continua, which enjoyed far more support among the proletariat and even managed to affect the opinion of the general public, the Red Brigades did not actively seek to involve the working class in their discussions, preferring to determine strategies themselves.

To fully comprehend why the Red Brigades failed to achieve their proclaimed objective of leading a successful revolution of the proletariat to create a fairer political and economic system from which all would benefit equally, it is fundamental to understand how the group intended to legitimize its own authority while challenging the hegemony of the bourgeoisie. Based on an analysis of approximately 150 theoretical documents and communiqués disseminated by the Red Brigades and a comparison with the strategies of Lotta Continua, this research project explores exactly how the Red Brigades interpreted the meaning of the term consensus. Did they truly concern themselves with securing widespread support? How is this reflected in their methods of communication? In addition to providing important considerations related to the Red Brigades’ reasoning and methodology, the conclusions will contribute to the discussion of approaches used to contest democracies and democratic processes.

Advisor: Professor Sergio Ferrarese, Italian Studies, College of William & Mary

Author

• Judith Tauber