What Is Left Communism?
Left communism, or the communist left, describes a range of positions held by the left wing of communism, which criticises the political ideas and practices held by Marxist–Leninists, Trotskyists, and social democrats. Part of the Socialist family.
Definition
Left communism, or the communist left, describes a range of positions held by the left wing of communism, which criticises the political ideas and practices held by Marxist–Leninists, Trotskyists, and social democrats.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Left communism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Rejection of parliamentary and electoral strategies.
- Opposition to popular fronts with non-revolutionary parties.
- Internationalism over national liberation.
Origins
Communist movements in Italy, Germany and the Netherlands around 1918–1921.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Amadeo Bordiga, Herman Gorter
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Left Communism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 5 | strongly toward collective / planned | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 12 | strongly toward progressive | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 36 | near the center | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 19 | toward cosmopolitan | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 27 | toward non-intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 3 | strongly toward collective ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 41 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 19 | toward cosmopolitan |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 13 | strongly toward progressive |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 31 | toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 9 | strongly toward egalitarian |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 93 | strongly toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 27 | toward non-intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 10 | strongly toward secular state |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Religious doctrine should take precedence over civil law when they conflict. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Preserving a historic national majority is a legitimate immigration objective. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Major industries should be publicly owned rather than privately controlled. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Markets generally distribute goods more effectively than government planners. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Private ownership of businesses is essential to a successful economy. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Communism, Left Communism sits 10 points further toward progressive on the social dimension.
- Compared with Eco-Socialism, Left Communism sits 9 points further toward collective / planned on the economic dimension.
- Compared with Eurocommunism, Left Communism sits 9 points further toward collective / planned on the economic dimension.
Comparisons
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Left Communism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Left communism
- Wikipedia: Left Communism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Karl Marx
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Socialism
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.