According to Gramsci, 'hegemony is primarily based on the organisation of consent.' Comment. (UPSC CSE Mains 2019 - Political Science and International Relations, Paper 1).
Gramsci a neo-marxist was the first thinker who called for turning the focus of Marxism from its prime obsession of base (economic conditions) towards the culture sphere (superstructure). According to him, the superstructure has developed independently of the base and analysing it would only help in understanding the reasons behind the non emergence of revolutions in the capitalistic societies.
In his observation of modern states, Gramsci recognised that after the mid-nineteenth century, the state did not rule and control the public through coercion and force. Instead, it had cultivated consensual support throughout civil society, which he described as hegemony. Hegemony as a concept was inspired by Italian political thinkers who employed the term to describe the gradual building of consensus and favour across the nation for the ruling class instead of relying exclusively on the exercise of coercion. Hegemony was the consensual domination of the masses by a social class which successfully expanded its influence and leadership across civil society. Army, law, police and other forms of control and threat were only employed during a crisis of command when spontaneous consent from the masses failed. By trying to keep this consent intact, the state could no longer be separated from civil society. The state became a combination of political and civil society and functioned as an ethical educator that moulded a specific way of life for its citizens. Therefore, the backing of educational and religious institutions, media persons, and groups that influenced civil society became essential to maintain power. Therefore the structures supporting it are known as Structures of legitimation.
When these structures fails then only the other coercion by the political means- governmental help is resorted and such structures are known as structures of coercion. Domination is an overarching method of exercising power over the subjects by these two methods.
Moreover, the state also needed to win over potentially hostile or volatile groups and appease the dominant classes. It is here that intellectuals play a major role. According to Gramsci, in a state’s struggle for hegemony, intellectuals had an important role due to their capacity to influence civil society and gain the consent of the masses. They are used as tools of the state to maintain their hegemonic power.
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