The theory of “Empire” proposed by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri transcends the nation-state sovereignty framework of Lenin's theory of imperialism and Marx's material productionoriented paradigm, offering a novel interpretation of capitalist evolution under globalization. As a new form of global sovereignty, the core of “Empire” lies in the immaterial transformation of dominant production modes and the decentralization of power mechanisms. In production terms, “Empire” reconstructs labor subjectivity and exploitation patterns through immaterial labor and biopolitical production, transforming the working “multitude” into subjects embodying both productivity and exploitability under capitals real subsumption. In power terms, imperial sovereignty dissolves traditional geopolitical boundaries through capital's deterritorialization and hybrid political regimes, replacing them with micro-level penetration and comprehensive control via power networks that forge collusion between economic power and extra-economic power. The implicit exploitation and digital control in digital capitalism precisely epitomize this “Empire” logic: capital converts users into unpaid digital laborers through data monopolies and algorithmic hegemony, eroding the boundary between labor time and leisure time, thereby achieving comprehensive human domination. However, the theorys explanatory power is constrained by its deviations from Marxs materialist approach to production and Lenins imperialism theory. It thus becomes imperative to reexamine its theoretical limitations through historical materialism, thereby revitalizing both Marxism and the “Empire” theory and ultimately advancing research on production mode transformation and imperialist evolution in the digital capitalist era.
