The Class Struggle from above and the Enigma of the Neoliberal Consensus
by Alfredo Ferrara
pp. 96-119 Issue 11 (6,1) – January-June 2019 ISSN (online): 2539/2239 ISSN (print): 2389-8232 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14718/SoftPower.2019.6. 1.5
Abstract
This paper deals with the process of political and social transition in Western coun- tries from the beginning of the 70s. The analysis draws from the transition theory of the class struggle from above, as proposed by Italian sociologist Luciano Gallino. After a short intellectual biography, as well as an introduction to his theory, the paper discusses the social and political consensus that neoliberalism – the ideology behind the concept of class struggle from above – managed to both engender and govern over the last three decades. The reasons behind this success, it is argued, lie in the neoliberal capability to shape the demands and needs put forth by Western societies during the Glorious Thirty in an individual and competitive fashion.