Milovan Đilas seminal book, The New Class: An Analysis of the Communist System (originally Nova klasa
The New Class was not an academic exercise written from a safe distance. Djilas wrote it while being persecuted by his own system. A hero of the Partisan war against the Nazis, Djilas fell out with Tito in 1954 over demands for democratic reform. After publishing excerpts of The New Class in The New Leader (USA), he was arrested. Milovan Djilas Nova Klasa.pdf
: Đilas suggests the party uses this system to force rapid industrialization, which in turn reinforces the bureaucracy's total control over society. Key Themes and Insights Totalitarian Control Milovan Đilas seminal book, The New Class: An
2. The Nature of Ownership Djilas redefines the concept of ownership in a communist state. He argues that the "New Class" does not own property legally, as the state owns the means of production. However, because the party controls the state, the party bureaucracy collectively possesses the wealth. They derive their power and luxury from administrative control rather than legal ownership. After publishing excerpts of The New Class in
3. Bureaucratic Tyranny Djilas describes the New Class as a specific type of bureaucratic elite. He argues that this class is more oppressive than previous ruling classes because it monopolizes not just the economy, but all aspects of life, including ideology, culture, and education. He famously describes the Communist Party as "the greatest parasite in history."
In 1957, a small, unassuming book slipped past censors in the West and was immediately smuggled back behind the Iron Curtain. Its author was not a disillusioned capitalist scholar, but the former Vice President of Yugoslavia, Milovan Djilas—once the closest comrade-in-arms to Josip Broz Tito.
Djilas blends personal observation from inside Yugoslav leadership, comparative examples (Soviet bloc practices), anecdote, and theoretical reasoning. He avoids heavy statistical apparatus but gives descriptive vignettes and institutional analysis to show how privilege manifests — appointments, access to foreign goods, housing, and the control of information.