Bordiga attacked Ordine Nuovo as syndicalist gradualism neglecting state power

Evidence

“This, call it reformism or syndicalism, is defined by the erroneous view that the proletariat can emancipate itself by winning ground in economic relations, while capitalism still holds political power through its control of the State.” Bordiga was not wrong to point out syndicalist tendencies in Gramsci’s thought at this time. The ideas developed in the pages of Ordine Nuovo were deeply influenced both by Daniel de Leon, the theorist of the Wobblies, and by the British shop stewards’ movement. Moreover, Gramsci certainly underestimated the role of the State, and hence had not grasped the role of the revolutionary party in organising the seizure of power. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 95

Categorization

• XREF: Previews Gramsci’s later state-centred hegemony theory; Bordiga’s critique marks the moment where economic-council strategy is found to underweight political power.