Milovan Djilas Nova Klasa.pdf | [repack]

Milovan Djilas's "The New Class" (1957) argues that communist revolutions inevitably create a privileged political bureaucracy that monopolizes power and controls nationalized property for its own benefit. This analysis highlights the ideological contradiction between socialist theory and the reality of a parasitic, self-serving elite. Access the English edition on or a Russian PDF on Vtoraya Literatura RCIN.org.pl

Chapter 1: "The Beginning of the End of the Revolution"

4. Understanding Modern China and Russia

Many contemporary analysts use Djilas’ lens to explain the rise of oligarchs in post-Soviet Russia (where party bosses became billionaire capitalists) and the current state of the Chinese Communist Party. The question "Is the CCP a New Class?" is a direct intellectual descendant of Djilas. Milovan Djilas Nova Klasa.pdf

Contemporary relevance

• Authoritarian and post-authoritarian states: The new-class framework helps analyze modern regimes where bureaucratic elites capture state assets and privileges (e.g., state-capitalist or party-state systems).
• Bureaucratic capture in democracies: While not identical, parallels appear where administrative elites and regulatory capture produce privileges insulated from public accountability.
• Organizational sociology and corruption studies: Djilas’s insights anticipate work on elite reproduction, patronage networks, and how institutions mediate inequality even absent formal property rights.

The most quoted line from the PDF: "The system is... one of absolute political monopoly... The new class acquires its strength, its privileges, its supremacy, and its power from the party." Milovan Djilas's "The New Class" (1957) argues that

Why the Book Still Matters (Legacy)

While the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Djilas’s thesis has proven remarkably durable. Political scientists argue that his model fits not just Stalinist Russia, but also: Milovan Djilas Nova Klasa.pdf