Critics of Djilas (mostly Trotskyists and orthodox Marxists) argued that his thesis was a "pamphlet of betrayal"—a disgruntled ex-communist justifying his split. They claimed that the bureaucracy was a "degenerated workers state" that could be reformed, not a permanent new class.
: The book exposes the "ironic" gap between Communist egalitarian theory and the "refined tyranny" and "brutal exploitation" found in reality. Tyranny over the Mind
: The state and the party are not vehicles for the proletariat but the primary mechanisms through which the new class exercises and perpetuates its power. This system allows party officials to enjoy material benefits, luxury goods, and exclusive access to resources, creating a vast chasm between the ruling elite and the working class. Milovan Djilas Nova Klasa.pdf
However, history favored Djilas. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, archives from the GDR, Poland, and the USSR confirmed his core thesis: Nomenklatura lists (privileged party positions) were heritable. Children of party officials were vastly more likely to become party officials. The "class" was real.
In a capitalist society, the ruling class is defined by ownership of capital (factories, land, money). In a Communist society, the state abolishes private ownership. Đilas argues that because the state owns everything, and the Party controls the state, the Party officials become the de facto owners. Critics of Djilas (mostly Trotskyists and orthodox Marxists)
When The New Class was published in New York in 1957, it caused an international sensation. It was translated into dozens of languages and sold millions of copies worldwide. Why the Book Was Revolutionary:
If you’re asking me to (e.g., a summary, analysis, or academic essay) on Djilas’s The New Class , I can certainly do that from memory and my knowledge base. Please clarify which type of paper you need: Tyranny over the Mind : The state and
Consider the "Managerial Class"—CEOs who do not own the company (shareholders do) but control salaries and strategy. Or consider the "Political Consultant Class" in Washington D.C. and Brussels—people who have never been elected but control the flow of information and legislation. Djilas' warning was universal: Every power structure creates a ruling class.
To understand The New Class , one must understand its author. Milovan Đilas (1911–1995) was a Montenegrin politician, theorist, and author. During World War II, he was a key commander in Josip Broz Tito’s Partisan resistance against Nazi occupation.
Milovan Đilas's 1957 work, The New Class , argues that the communist revolution failed to create a classless society, instead producing a new, parasitic political bureaucracy that exercises a monopoly over the economy. The book highlights that this new class secures its power through collective ownership and totalitarian control, using Marxist ideology to justify its privilege and exploitation. You can read a summary of the work via the CIA's historical document archive at cia.gov . SUMMARY OF THE NEW CLASS - CIA