Can democracy provide a path to socialism? Can civil rights anddemocratic institutions be protected and developed in a socialistsociety? Does our view of the nature and value of democracy affectour understanding of socialism itself? In a world with regimeswhich profess to be socialist, which socialism is worth defendingtoday? In this powerful and provocative volume, Norberto Bobbiore-examines the uneasy relation between socialism and democracy. Heargues that Marxist theory has failed to provide an adequateaccount of the nature and role of the state in socialist societyand defends the concept of representative democracy. Bobbio'sarguments sparked off a lively debate in Italy; this volumeincludes a reply by Antonio Negri. The volume also includes anessay by Bobbio on Marxism and international relations, and hisclassic text on Gramsci's conception of civil society.