Leftism: Difference between revisions
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| footer = | | footer = 1. [[Maxmilien Robespierre]] of the [[Jacobins]]. 2. [[V. I. Lenin]], [[Russian Empire|Russia]]n [[Marxist]] [[revolution]]ary. 3. [[Salvador Allende]], [[pacifist]] and [[electoralist]] [[Chile]]an Marxist. 4. Headquarters of the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany]] during the [[United Front]] era, 1932. 5. [[First Intifada]] in the [[Gaza Strip]], an [[anti-imperialist]] struggle headed by leftist and [[socialist]] groups. 6. [[Bill Haywood|"Big Bill" Haywood]], [[United States|American]] socialist organizer. 7. [[Ho Chi Minh]], [[Vietnam]]ese revolutionary. | ||
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Revision as of 17:26, 30 March 2024
Left-wing politics, also known as leftism, is a broad grouping of ideological tendencies which seek to alter and advance past the given socio-economic and political status quo in favor of a more egalitarian arrangement. In a modern context, leftist politics centers around the abolition of capitalism in favor of socialism and communism. Modern leftists also oppose the ideological forces in support of capitalism, including liberalism and fascism.
Common left-wing tendencies include Marxism, anarchism, reformist or democratic socialism, and the various sub-groupings in those trends.
Etymology
The terms left-wing and leftism are derived from the French Revolution, when the more progressive, egalitarian political factions were seated on the left-side of the assembly whereas the reactionary factions sat on the right-wing.[1]
Issues
State verses anarchy
A common point of division between leftists is towards the question of a revolutionary state. Most Marxists, particularly Marxist–Leninists and Maoists, argue it is necessary to create a revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat following the revolution to maintain the gains of the working class, fight class enemies, etc. Anarchists and other libertarian socialists on the other hand believe that creating a state in any form, socialist or not, will lead to the leaders of that state growing as corrupt as the bourgeois government preceding it, which will reproduce capitalist society. Therefore, from an anarchist perspective, statelessness is the most liberative form of political organization.[2]
Revolution verses reformism
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Vanguardism verses spontaneity
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Markets verses planning
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See also
References
- ↑ "left-wing" Wiktionary
- ↑ "Anarchism" (In Russian) Great Soviet Encyclopedia