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Inpolitical philosophy, particularlyFrankfurt School critical theory,advanced capitalism is the situation that pertains in a society in which thecapitalist model has been integrated and developed deeply and extensively and for a prolonged period. The expressionadvanced capitalism distinguishes such societies from the historical previous forms of capitalism,mercantilism andindustrial capitalism, and partially overlaps with the concepts of adeveloped country; of thepost-industrial age; offinance capitalism; ofpost-Fordism; of thespectacular society; ofmedia culture; and of "developed", "modern", and "complex" capitalism.
Various writers identifyAntonio Gramsci as an influential early theorist of advanced capitalism, even if he did not use the term himself. In his writings Gramsci sought to explain how capitalism had adapted to avoid the revolutionary overthrow that had seemed inevitable in the 19th century. At the heart of his explanation was the decline of raw coercion as a tool of class power, replaced by use ofcivil society institutions to manipulate public ideology in the capitalists' favor.[1][2][3]
Jürgen Habermas has been a major contributor to the analysis of advanced-capitalistic societies. Habermas observed four general features that characterize advanced capitalism:
