A mass base is necessary but insufficient for a party to exist

Evidence

1. A mass element, composed of ordinary, average men, whose participation takes the form of discipline and loyalty, rather than any creative spirit or organisational ability. Without these the party would not exist, it is true, but it is also true that neither could it exist with these alone. They are a force in so far as there is somebody to centralise, organise and discipline them. In the absence of this cohesive force, they would scatter into an impotent diaspora and vanish into nothing. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 676

Categorization

• DEFINE: Gramsci’s three-element anatomy of the party begins with the passive, disciplined mass whose force depends wholly on external organization.