Problems of the history of Italy in the work of Antonio Gramsci “Prison notebooks”: from the renaissance to fascism

This paper reveals the problems of the historical concept in the main work of the life of Antonio Gramsci, the world-famous Italian сcommunist thinker and Marxist revolutionary. The author of the study examines the historical concept of Gramsci on specific examples from the history of Italy from Ancient Rome to the 30s of the XX century. This paper explores such concepts that are fundamental to the Gramsci concept, such as «passive revolution» and «hegemony». In addition, the author studies Gramsci's interpretation of the historical role of the intelligentsia over the centuries, as well as the features of the Middle ages, Renaissance, Risorgimento, and the genesis of fascism. In the paper, the author focuses on the Gramsci’s interpretation of the figure of N. Machiavelli and the actualization of his treatise, «Sovereign», and its application to modern Gramsci Italian society.