The Managerial Revolution: What is Happening in the World

by James Burnham

The power of an ideology has several dimensions: it is shown both by the number of men that it sways and also by the extent to which it sways them—that is, whether they are moved only to verbal protestations of loyalty, or to a will to sacrifice and die under its slogans. This power is tested particularly when an ideology, in reasonably equal combat, comes up against a rival. From all of these points of view the power of Marxist ideology, or rather of the strictly socialist aspects of Marxist ideology, has gravely declined. This is especially noticeable among that so-decisive section of the population, the youth, who are no longer willing to die for the words of socialist ideology any more than for those of capitalist ideologies. The only branch of the Marxist ideology which still retains considerable attractive power is the Stalinist variant of Leninism, but Stalinism is no longer genuinely socialist. Just as in the case of the Stalinist party, the Marxist ideology has kept power only by ceasing to be socialist.