The resiliency and independence of Italian Marxism is often attributed to the influence of Gramsci. This influence arises in part from Gramsci's role as a founder and theoretician of the Italian Communist Party (PCI). Yet, his significance arises from his identification with Western Marxism. Gramsci is considered to be a prime representative of this tradition by virtue of his roots in Hegelianism, which is often used to explain how the PCI was spared many of the worst aspects of Stalinism. It (...) is also credited with allowing the PCI to develop its “third way” or “via italiana,” which abandons the accepted Marxist-Leninist approaches to the acquisition of political power and makes the pursuit of parliamentary politics a legitimate enterprise for the communist movement. (shrink)