In the middle of the 1950s, many thought the world had only two political options: Western-style capitalism, or Stalinist bureaucratic "communism". When the working class of Hungary launched a workers' revolution against the Stalinist dictatorship, they proved both sides wrong.
The workers' movement in Italy reached new heights when a wave of factory occupations swept the industrial centres–only to be swiftly defeated by the political disorganisation of the revolutionary left. The legacy of this movement's defeat helped Gramsci develop his theory of revolution.
