Milovan Djilas Nova Klasa.pdf

The central argument of the book is provocative and, at the time, heretical to Marxist doctrine. Đilas argues that while Communism claims to create a classless society, it actually creates a new ruling class: the Party Bureaucracy.

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. Milovan Djilas Nova Klasa.pdf

Key points of his analysis include:

To understand the magnitude of this book, one must understand the author. Milovan Đilas was not a Western critic looking in; he was a true insider. He was a Vice-President of Yugoslavia under Tito, a dedicated communist revolutionary who fought against the Nazis, and a man who helped orchestrate the Yugoslav revolution. The central argument of the book is provocative

The New Class is the book that got him imprisoned. Published in the West in 1957 while he was still a high-ranking official, it represents the first thorough, systematic dismantling of the Communist system by one of its own architects. It remains one of the most important political texts of the 20th century. In a Communist society, the state abolishes private

If you are downloading this PDF today, you are likely looking for insights into authoritarianism or the corruption of ideals. The book remains relevant because it describes the universal tendency of bureaucracies to serve themselves.

It applies not just to historical Communism, but to any system where a small group holds total power without accountability or private property rights. It serves as a warning: when power and property rights are concentrated in the hands of the state, a "New Class" of bureaucrats inevitably emerges to exploit the system for their own benefit.