Far left - Citizendia

Not to be confused with Ultra-left, Radical left, Radicalism (historical), or Hard left. Ultra-leftism has two overlapping uses It is used as a generally Pejorative term for certain types of positions on the left that are seen as extreme or intransigent For opposition to all forms of government social hierarchy or authority see Anarchism. ' Hard left' is a name often given to an internal tendency within the British Labour Party.

French far left groups marching on May 1, 2007; including members of Lutte Ouvrière, Confédération nationale du travail and flags of Cuba

Far left and extreme left are terms used to discuss the position a group or person occupies within a political spectrum. Workers' Struggle ( Lutte Ouvrière) is the usual name under which the Communist Union ( Union Communiste) (Trotskyist a French Trotskyist Template talkInfobox Union for usage --> The CNT-F ( Confédération nationale du travail) or National Confederation The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la A political spectrum (plural Spectra) is a way of modeling different political positions by placing them upon one or more geometric axes The terms far left and far right are often used to imply that someone is an extremist. Far right, extreme right, ultra-right, or radical right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group Extremism is a term used to describe the actions or ideologies of individuals or groups outside the perceived political center of a society or otherwise claimed to violate Some groups considered to be far left do not wish to govern within the current institutional framework, and this may be what distinguishes them from other left-leaning groups. However, these terms are controversial because the labels are considered by some to be subjective based upon the perspective of those who consider themselves "centrists" or slightly left or right of center with an underlying assumption that anything more radical than those views is 'extreme' or wrong.

In the current context, those labelled far left tend to posit class struggle as the central feature of modern politics. Class struggle is the active expression of Class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective The term far left has been associated with ideologies such as communism, social anarchism, anarchist communism, left communism, anarcho-syndicalism, Marxist-Leninism, Trotskyism and Maoism. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Social anarchism, socialist anarchism, anarcho-socialism, anarchist socialism or Communitarian anarchism,(sometimes used interchangeably with Left communism is the range of communist viewpoints held by the Communist Left, which opposes the political ideas of the Bolsheviks Anarcho-syndicalism is a branch of Anarchism which focuses on the labour movement. Marxism-Leninism is a Communist ideological stream that emerged as the mainstream tendency amongst the Communist parties in the 1920s as it was adopted Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Maoism, variably and officially known as Mao Zedong Thought ( is a variant of Marxism derived from the teachings of the late Chinese leader ^[1]^[2]^[3] Some groups and organisations on the left define themselves as revolutionary socialist. The term revolutionary socialism refers to Socialist tendencies that advocate the need for fundamental social change through Revolution, as a strategy to achieve a

The terms far left and far right are based on the assumption that political views can be coherently divided according to a left-right spectrum. Therefore, the terms have been criticized by groups that believe politics is not one-dimensional, and that there are more than two kinds of political extremes.

1 History and usage
2 Similar terms
3 Varying usage in different national contexts
4 References
5 See also

History and usage

The origin of left as a political term is the seating arrangements in the French National Assembly during the French Revolution. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The National Assembly is either a Legislature, or the Lower house of a Bicameral legislature in some countries The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an The most radical of the Jacobins were seated on the far left of the chamber. The Jacobin Club was the largest and most powerful political club of the French Revolution. The term Jacobin was used to describe far left people throughout much of the 19th century. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Since then, the term far left has been used to describe persons or groups who hold radical egalitarian views and support radical social and political change. Egalitarianism (derived from the French word égal, meaning equal) is a political doctrine that holds that all people should be treated as equals and have

Similar terms

During the 19th century, the term radical was used by progressive liberals to distance themselves from classical liberals, which explains why some centre-left political parties today have radical in their names, such as Denmark's Det Radikale Venstre (which literally translates into English as "the radical left"), and France's Left Radical Party. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar For opposition to all forms of government social hierarchy or authority see Anarchism. Progressivism is a term that refers to a broad school of international social and political philosophies. Classical liberalism (also known as traditional liberalism, Laissez-faire liberalism, Market liberalism or in much of the world The centre-left (or center-left) is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals political parties or organizations (such as Think A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Det Radikale Venstre (literally The Radical Left is a Social liberal party in Denmark. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Radical Party of the Left ( Parti Radical de Gauche, PRG is a minor social-liberal and social-democratic political party in France In the 20th century, the definition of radical was revised in response to the models of communism and the Soviet Union. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 At that time, the political term radical often implied Marxism of some kind. Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Since the early 20th century, radical left has been used as an umbrella term to describe those on the political left who adhere explicitly and openly to revolutionary socialism, communism, or anarchism. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on An umbrella term is a word that provides a Superset or grouping of related concepts also called a Hypernym. The term revolutionary socialism refers to Socialist tendencies that advocate the need for fundamental social change through Revolution, as a strategy to achieve a Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i In this context, it generally does not include democratic socialists, social democrats, liberals, nor others working in electoral politics, since the radical qualifier tends to denote a revolutionary fervor. Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements tendencies and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements tendencies and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal An election is a Decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold formal office A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turnaround" is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively

The term ultra-leftism, which originated in the 1920s, is sometimes used in the same way as far left, but also has a more specific meaning within the context of Marxism. Ultra-leftism has two overlapping uses It is used as a generally Pejorative term for certain types of positions on the left that are seen as extreme or intransigent Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The term hard left is sometimes used in the same way, but also has a specific meaning within the British Labour Party; a meaning that was used in particular in the 1980s. ' Hard left' is a name often given to an internal tendency within the British Labour Party. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the

Varying usage in different national contexts

English-speaking countries

In the 2000s, in nations where communist or socialist parties are not part of the political mainstream, such as the United States, the term far left can simply mean to the left of the most left-wing member of the legislature. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation For much of the English-speaking world - especially Australia and the United States - far left is sometimes a pejorative term to indicate that a person is extreme or on the fringe in their left-wing views. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Extremism is a term used to describe the actions or ideologies of individuals or groups outside the perceived political center of a society or otherwise claimed to violate Commentators like Bill O'Reilly refer to politicans like John Edwards and sites like Media Matters for America as "far-left". William James O'Reilly Jr (born September 10 1949 is an American television / radio host, Author, Syndicated columnist, and Johnny Reid "John" Edwards (born June 10 1953 Media Matters for America (or MMfA) is a 501(c(3 Non-profit organization founded in 2004 by Journalist and Author

France

In France, the term extrême-gauche is normally only used for Trotskyists, anarchists, Maoists and New Leftists. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Maoism, variably and officially known as Mao Zedong Thought ( is a variant of Marxism derived from the teachings of the late Chinese leader The New Left were the Left-wing movements in different countries in the 1960s and 1970s that unlike the earlier leftist focus on union activism instead adopted a The French Communist Party is not considered far left. The French Communist Party ( French: Parti communiste français or PCF) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of

Italy

The The Left - The Rainbow coalition has described itself as "radical left". The Left – The Rainbow ( La Sinistra – L'Arcobaleno, SA frequently referred as Rainbow Left ( Sinistra Arcobaleno, SA is a left-wing

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