1. According to Gramsci, two elements make up his idea of hegemony. Discuss the two components and explain the controversy surrounding the first strand of his thought.

The first idea that forms Gramscian idea of hegemony is the debate surrounding the third international on the strategies that the Bolshevik revolution used and the formation of the Soviet socialist nation. According to Gramsci, the workers practice hegemony over their allies while they exercised dictatorship on their enemy classes. The second component was obtained from the writings of Machiavelli. However, there has been a controversy surrounding Gramsci’s first element. Some commentators have seen a contrast in his idea and have viewed it through what Lenin asserts the presence of dictatorship from the proletariat while Gramsci sees hegemony from them (Cox, 1983). This, therefore, gives contrast on what the two ideologies understood concerning hegemony.

2. Two currents have had both critical theory and problem-solving elements to the world order. They have been essential to world orders and interstate relations. These are realism and Marxism. What is the difference between these currents?

Realism is a current that mainly focuses on the role that the state plays and the importance that its powers have in molding the outcomes of the international political economy. It is, therefore, more concerned on the security of the nation. It is traced to Machiavelli’s political theory and the diplomacy surrounding the resurgence of the Italian city-states (Cox, 1981). Marxism, on the other hand, rejects the realist’ view and focuses more on the importance of class. It looks at the class as the most crucial player in the international political economy. However, Marxism shares some of the neo-realist elements of problem-solving such as essentialist epistemology (Cox, 1981).

 
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