Antonio Gramsci

Sterile and Negative Criticism

1925
Source: LUnit September 30, 1925;
Translated: by Mitcell Abidor;
!opy"e#t: !reati$e !ommons %Attribute & SareAli'e( mar)ists*or+ 200,*
-n ./ordi+a0s1 lon+ article one tin+ is truly note2orty: te ele+ant s'epticism 2it 2ic e
a$oids ta'in+ a clear position on points 2ic e ne$erteless a##irms to dissent #rom; tere is
te continual oscillation bet2een tesis and antitesis, 2itout #or all tat indicatin+ an
3ori+inal4 tesis o# is o2n*
!omrade /ordi+a limits imsel# to upoldin+ a cautious position on all te 5uestions raised by
te "e#t* 6e doesn0t say: te -nternational poses and resol$es suc and suc a 5uestion in tis
2ay, but te "e#t 2ill instead pose and resol$e it tis oter 2ay* 6e instead says: te 2ay te
-nternational poses and resol$es problems doesn0t con$ince me; - #ear it #alls into opportunism,
tere are insu##icient +uarantees a+ainst tis, etc* 6is position, ten, is one o# permanent
suspicion and doubt* -n tis 2ay te position o# te 3"e#t4 is purely ne+ati$e; tey e)press
reser$ations 2itout speci#yin+ tem in a concrete #orm, and abo$e all 2itout indicatin+ in
concrete #orm teir point o# $ie2, teir solutions* Tey end by spreadin+ doubt and distrust,
2itout constructin+ anytin+*
Te article be+ins 2it a caracteristic metapysical ypotesis* !omrade /ordi+a as's; is it
possible to 1007 e)clude te possibility tat te !ommunist -nternational 2ill #all into
opportunism8 /ut 2e can also as' i# 2e te possibility can be e)cluded tat e$en !omrade
/ordi+a 2on0t become opportunist, tat te 9ope 2ill become an ateist, tat te industrialist
:ord 2ill become a communist, etc* -n te realm o# metapysical possibility you can #ancy
2ate$er you 2ant, but a Mar)ist sould pose te 5uestion tusly: does possibility e)ist tat
te !ommunist -nternational is no lon+er te $an+uard o# te proletariat but is instead on te
road to becomin+ te e)pression o# te 2or'ers0 aristocracy, corrupted by te bour+eoisie8 -t is
tus tat te 5uestion is posed Mar)istically, and it is ten easy #or e$ery comrade to resol$e it*
Te article is a tissue o# teoretical and practical errors tat te comrades 2ill surely point out*
;e 2ill limit oursel$es to pointin+ out te most caracteristic points* !omrade /ordi+a says a
propos o# cells tat te type o# party or+ani<ation cannot in itsel# ensure its political caracter
and +uarantee it a+ainst opportunist de+eneration* /ut 2e a##irm tat or+ani<ation in te #orm
o# cells ensures te proletarian caracter o# te !ommunist 9arty better tan any oter and,
better tan any oter, +uarantees te party a+ainst opportunism*
And a#ter a$in+ repeated te curious a##irmation tat te system o# cells is appropriate #or
=ussia, tou+ more so be#ore tan a#ter te con5uest o# po2er, and tat tis doesn0t apply to
countries 2it a bour+eois democratic re+ime, !omrade /ordi+a concludes: 3;e aren0t a+ainst
te cells, at least as +roups o# members in #actories, 2it +i$en #unctions4 So is te le#t #or or
a+ainst te cells8 And 2at are tese 3+i$en #unctions4 tat !omrade /ordi+a a$oids
speci#yin+8 Te "e#t and !omrade /ordi+a don0t declare temsel$es e)plicitly a+ainst
/olse$i<aition, but are only suspicious o# it because it is based on or+ani<ation in cells 2ic
2ould be o$erseen by a 2eb o# #unctionaries cosen based on te criterion o# blind
obse5uiousness to "eninism*
Tat te local leadersip o# te party sould be made up o# ideolo+ically cosen elements is
beyond any doubt, because 2itout tis te !ommunist 9arty 2ould not be 2at it is* As #or
blind obse5uiousness, tis is a type o# polemical metod tat is $ul+ar to no small e)tent and
upon 2ic it is pointless to lin+er*
-t is also curious 2at !omrade /ordi+a 2rites concernin+ "eninism* 6e 2rites tat i#
"eninism is notin+ but Mar)ism, ten it0s pointless to use suc a term; but immediately a#ter
tis e adds tat te "e#t 2ill use bot terms indi##erently* >ot only does e contradict imsel#
ere, but tere is also a contradiction in te assertion concernin+ te use o# te t2o terms
indi##erently and te contemporary reco+nition tat "enin is te 3completer, in lar+e part, o#
Mar)ism; and is interpretation o# imperialism, te #ormulations on te a+rarian and national
5uestions are #undamental contributions in te de$elopment o# Mar)ism*4
!oncernin+ is disa+reement 2it "enin, !omrade /ordi+a remains s'ill#ully on te +eneral,
2ile not bein+ speci#ic* Te prases, 3;e a$e discussed and critici<ed "enin and 2e are not
entirely con$inced by is counter?deductions,4 and, 3"enin0s rebu'es a$e not con$erted me4
can a$e an e##ect on te petit?bour+eois, but !ommunists and re$olutionary 2or'ers 2ill only
sru+ teir soulders*
!omrade /ordi+a, 2itout any2ere speci#yin+ te e)tent o# is disa+reement 2it "enin +oes
on a##irmin+ tat e doesn0t retain "enin0s tactical system because it doesn0t contain +uarantees
a+ainst opportunist applications* /ut !omrade /ordi+a 2ould be more sincere i# e 2ere to
declare tat e re@ects any tactical maneu$ers inso#ar as e$ery tactical maneu$er presents te
dan+er o# opportunist de$iations*
Te +uarantee a+ainst de$iations doesn0t consist in tactics temsel$es, but in us, in our
!ommunist consciousness, in te entire party0s $i+ilance and sel#?criticism, in #irmness o#
principles, in te e##ort to ne$er lose si+t o# te re$olutionary +oal* ;e don0t pretend to a$e
e)austed in te current note te ob@ections to !omrade /ordi+a0s article* -t is truly a mine o#
errors and inconsistencies o# e$ery type*
;e 2ant only to note tose concernin+ anti?parliamentarism and te tactics o# te party
to2ards te A$entine 2or'er masses* Te tactic adopted by te party? says !onrade /ordi+a A
2as not anticipated at any con+ress* /ut aside #rom te #act tat no con+ress anticipated eiter
te Matteoti crime or te reaction o# te masses, 2it teir contemporaneous tilt to2ards
A$entine illusions, 2at is te tactic tat, accordin+ to !omrade /ordi+a, sould a$e been
adopted8 6e restrains imsel# #rom e)plainin+ it in any #orm, and limits imsel# to sayin+
3little is done 2en a lot could be done*4
Te entire article is a document o# true intellectual decadence* !omrade /ordi+a not only #ails
to dra2 te lo+ical conse5uences o# is ne+ations, e abo$e all #ails to counter?propose ne2
directi$es to te critici<ed directi$es in a clear and complete #orm* To limit onesel#, as e does,
to ne+ati$e criticism, to spread doubt, s'epticism and distrust, 2itout indicatin+ anytin+
positi$ely constructi$e constitutes not only a lac' o# caracter, but also re$eals little respect #or
or attacment to te party and te -nternational*