The Comparison Of Max's And Gramsci's Theory Of "Civil Society"

Civil society is the main part of Max historical materialism.Max believes civil society is "the system of private interest" or" the sum of special relationship of private interest". It covers all aspects of social life outside of political country. However, Gramsci regards civil society as one of the two aspects of superstructure and as the media of the tansition from economic foundation to superstructure.This paper is divided into four parts,including Max' s and Gramsci's theory of "civil society", the comparison of Max' s and Gramsci's theory of "civil society"and modern significance of the theory of "civil society".The first part mainly discusses the theoretical source of Max's theory of civil society,the starting point of Max's theory of civil society and the contents of Max's theory of civil society.The second part, Gramsci 's redefinition of "civil society",civil society and cultural leadership authority, civil society and war of position and civil society and organic intellectual.In the third part, from the comparision of the definition of civil society,the relationship between civil society and political country,the status of civil society in social gross structure and civil society and the extinction of political country, we find Max's theory of civil society stands on the basis of factual history and society all along and sets the nature of civil society fron the relationship of econamy. However, from the culture aspect to discuss civil society, Gramsci ignoring the key political function of regime, overstresses the function of ideology such as culuture. Finally he will never overpasses Max's theory of civil society.The last part mainly studies the modern significance of the theory of civil society" , especially the realistic significance of Max's and Gramsci's theory of "civil society"for the construction of market economy in China, accelerate legal soacil procedure of the progeress, advance the constructio of global civil society.