The phrase “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters” is 

a renowned quote attributed to Antonio Gramsci, an influential Italian Marxist philosopher and politician. He penned this observation in his Prison Notebooks while incarcerated under Mussolini’s Fascist regime in the 1930s. 

Meaning and context

Gramsci’s statement encapsulates the feeling of being caught in a period of interregnum, a term he used to describe a transitional period where an old, dominant political and social order (hegemony) has lost its ability to lead through consent but a new order has not yet emerged to take its place. 

• The “old world dying” signifies the crumbling of existing power structures, ideologies, and societal norms that no longer command widespread allegiance.
• The “new world struggling to be born” indicates the uncertainty and challenges associated with establishing a new social and political order.
• The “time of monsters” refers to the chaotic and unstable period that arises during this transition, where various “morbid symptoms” can appear, including extremism, authoritarianism, social upheaval, and political instability. 

In essence, Gramsci’s quote describes a state of profound crisis and instability, where the established order is collapsing and the path forward is unclear, leading to the rise of unpredictable and potentially dangerous forces that thrive in such uncertainty. 

Contemporary relevance

The quote remains highly relevant today and is often used to describe various periods of significant societal and political transitions, such as:

• The decline of globalization and the rise of new global power dynamics, according to Andrew Latham.
• The collapse of established political orders and the rise of populist and nationalist movements.
• Periods of rapid technological change and its impact on society and employment. 

In each case, Gramsci’s words offer a lens through which to understand the instability, anxiety, and potential for both progressive and regressive developments during these periods of fundamental change. 

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