The new class cannot tolerate competition. To maintain its grip on property and privilege, it must establish a total monopoly over:
Through strict censorship and the enforcement of a dogmatic state ideology. 2. The Illusion of Ideology
The Communist Party is not just a political organization; it is the organizational form of this new ruling class.
While officially nationalized, Djilas contended that this new class controls, uses, and enjoys nationalized property in a way no different from private owners. They decide how resources are used and reap the benefits. milovan djilas nova klasapdf
: He explains how the revolutionary fervor inevitably calcifies into a self-preserving elite that is more interested in maintaining its own privileges (special shops, villas, power) than in the workers' welfare. Historical Significance
The text remains highly relevant today for analyzing modern authoritarian regimes and state-capitalist systems where political loyalty dictates economic survival.
Milovan Djilas The New Class is a landmark critique of the communist system, authored by a man who was once a high-ranking official in Tito's Yugoslavia. The book's central thesis is that communist revolutions, while promising a classless society, actually birthed a new ruling class The new class cannot tolerate competition
As the regime consolidated power, Djilas grew disillusioned with the corruption, censorship, and lack of democratic freedom. His public criticisms led to his stripped titles, expulsion from the Communist Party, and eventual imprisonment.
: During World War II, Djilas was a key commander in Josip Broz Tito’s Yugoslav Partisans, fighting against Nazi occupation.
Djilas was among the first to predict that the communist world would not remain a monolithic block. He argued that the national interests of different communist countries would clash, leading to varied forms of communism, or "National Communism." The Lasting Impact of "The New Class" The Illusion of Ideology The Communist Party is
If you were to download a PDF of The New Class today, you would be reading the words he typed that night—words that dismantled the very ideology he once served.
: While the state technically "owns" everything, the bureaucracy uses and enjoys this property as if it were their own. Ideological Justification