Italian maximalist socialism valued principle-preservation over concrete political strategy

Evidence

His political position was evolving in the direction of a break not merely with the “centrist” party leadership, but also with the “purism” of the intransigent Left. … In this, it was a perfect example of the “purism” of Italian maximalist socialism, concerned above all with the preservation of principles, and offering no concrete strategy for political action. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 79

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘purism’/maximalist socialism as doctrine-purity politics with no operative strategy — a concept the reader will need when distinguishing Gramsci’s later politics from sterile principle-holding.
• XREF: Connects to the reader’s scaffold around ‘common sense’ vs. practical political action — purism as ideology detached from hegemonic strategy.