Milovan Đilas seminal book, The New Class: An Analysis of the Communist System (originally Nova klasa
), was published in 1957 and remains one of the most significant insider critiques of the 20th-century communist system. Core Thesis The central argument of The New Class
is that communist revolutions, despite promising a "classless society," actually created a new ruling and exploiting class Nature of the New Class
: This class consists of the political bureaucracy—the party-state officials and technocrats—who exercise a total monopoly over the state and the economy. Control vs. Ownership
: While private property was abolished, this "new class" effectively "uses, enjoys, and disposes" of nationalised property as if they owned it collectively. Exploitation
: Đilas argued that this bureaucracy seized the "lion's share" of economic progress for their own benefits and privileges, such as exclusive housing and special access to goods, while the masses made the sacrifices. Key Themes and Arguments The Party-State
: The Communist Party acts as the "backbone" of all activity, where law is secondary to the decisions of party committees and secret police. Tyranny over the Mind Milovan Djilas Nova Klasa.pdf
: The system demands absolute uniformity of viewpoint, including philosophical and moral views, creating what Đilas called a "brutal type of tyranny" over individual conscience. Stages of Communism : Đilas identified three phases: the revolutionary (Lenin), the (Stalin), and the non-dogmatic (collective leadership after Stalin). National Communism
: He foresaw that Eastern European nations would eventually seek independence from Soviet hegemony because the system was imposed on them rather than emerging from within. Liberty University Historical Significance The New Class: An Analysis of the Communist System
The New Class: Milovan Djilas's Definitive Critique of Communist Bureaucracy
In 1957, a manuscript smuggled out of a Yugoslav prison arrived in New York, destined to become one of the most influential political documents of the 20th century. Milovan Djilas, once the heir apparent to Josip Broz Tito, published The New Class: An Analysis of the Communist System (Nova Klasa). It was the first time a high-ranking Communist official provided a systematic Marxist critique of why the revolution had failed to deliver a classless society. The Core Thesis: A New Form of Ownership
The central argument of The New Class is that Communist revolutions, though conducted in the name of abolishing classes, inadvertently created a new ruling elite. The New Class: An Analysis of the Communist System
Milovan Djilas The New Class (1957) remains a seminal critique of Communist systems, famously arguing that a new privileged ruling class of party bureaucrats inevitably emerges to replace the old aristocracy. Milovan Đilas seminal book, The New Class: An
If you are looking for the document itself or academic analysis, you can find high-quality versions and study guides at the following sources: Full Text (PDF) : A complete digital copy of the book is available via The Internet Archive Study & Analysis Guide
: For a breakdown of the communist system as presented by Djilas, you can access a comprehensive Study Guide on Academia.edu Historical Context
: Detailed research on Djilas’s transition from a high-ranking Yugoslav official to a prominent dissident is documented in this Doctoral Thesis from the University of East Anglia Chapter Summaries
: A concise summary of the book’s core arguments, including the "Character of the Revolution" and the centralization of power, is available on Are you analyzing this for a political science project or a historical research
Djilas argues that the party is not a tool of the class; the class is the party. There is no distinction. He writes that the party "makes itself the owner of the means of production."
If you open a genuine "Milovan Djilas Nova Klasa.pdf," you will find a stark, Marxist-adjacent argument that turned Marx on his head. Chapter 6: "The New Class and the Party"
Djilas posited that in communist societies, the means of production are not owned by the proletariat, but by a political monopoly. He defined the "New Class" as having the following characteristics:
The most quoted line from the PDF: "The system is... one of absolute political monopoly... The new class acquires its strength, its privileges, its supremacy, and its power from the party."
Political science courses on "Totalitarianism," "Comparative Politics," and "The History of Communism" frequently assign excerpts. Searching for the PDF allows students to bypass expensive anthologies that often only reprint two chapters.
To understand the text, one must understand the author. Djilas was no ordinary dissident. Born in Montenegro in 1911, he joined the Communist Party of Yugoslavia as a young firebrand. He fought alongside Tito as a partisan during World War II, enduring torture and leading guerilla campaigns. By 1953, he was the President of the Federal People's Assembly of Yugoslavia—effectively the second most powerful man in the country.
So, what went wrong? Djilas began to notice a disturbing pattern. After the war, the communist officials who had slept in caves and fought fascism began living in villas, driving chauffeured cars, and sending their children to special schools. They preached equality but practiced privilege.
When Djilas wrote a series of critical articles for Borba (the party newspaper) suggesting that a new ruling class was forming, Tito had him expelled from the party. Refusing to recant, Djilas further expanded his thesis into a book. In 1957, while serving a prison sentence for "hostile propaganda," he smuggled the manuscript for Nova Klasa to the West. It was published in the US by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich and instantly became a bestseller.