Right wingers who became left?

[HEAD ICE]

There are plenty of examples of leftists who came to the right (Horowitz, Hitchens, Eastman, etc), but how about those who came from the right to the left? I am sure there are plenty, because being an "ex-Marxist" is pretty much less of a statement on your politics but rather a cheap marketing gimmick.

One example I know of is Curzio Malaparte, who was a committed fascist and after WWII joined the Communist Party and flirted with Maoism before his death.

[Q]

Tony Benn comes to mind. But yeah, he's one of the very few.

[Die Neue Zeit]

Our very own Chegitz Guevara was a Reaganite back in the day.

[Raúl Duke]

A handful of revleft members came from the right, especially among those from the U.S. I think.

[the last donut of the night]

Me

[thomasludd]

Tyrlop posted something like this in his blog:

Former fascists turned left


http://www.revleft.com/vb/blog.php?b=750

[chegitz guevara]

Our very own Chegitz Guevara was a Reaganite back in the day.

Yep.

[Uppercut]

Before I knew anything about politics, I supported the Iraq war (figures).

[HEAD ICE]

Well if we are talking about RevLeft members, than I would include myself. I posted this in History because I was interested in any historical figures who converted. That story about Richard Scheringer is fantastic.

[Zanthorus]

Well according to Isaac Deutscher at any rate, when Trotsky first encountered socialist ideas conversing with the sons of a family he was staying with in Nikolayev he basically put on the airs of an extreme conservative and pretended not to be interested until he finally caved in.

I once read a brilliant story about a man who used to be a Nietzchean individualist but became a socialist. I'm pretty sure it was a true story written by the guy himself. I wish I could remember what it was.

Ah, found it:

http://london.sonoma.edu/Writings/WarOfTheClasses/socialist.html

[RadioRaheem84]

Che Guevara was a bit of a Peronist in his youth.

Hugo Chavez admitted that he was just a Third Way advocate and an admirer of Tony Blair until he realized the bourgeoisie did not take lightly to his reforms. He realized there was no middle ground between socialism and capitalism.

I went from moderate/liberal to social democrat to unapologetic socialist. Many Americans on revleft probablt started off this way.

[Die Neue Zeit]

Yep.

Don't forget that advice of mine, though. ;)

[AK]

I was a racist bigot who thought commies were scum. In fact, those two things that I just mentioned were the reasons why I became a communist originally.

[graymouser]

Yeah, I was a Republican in high school. I figure I'd shock myself a lot if I met myself fifteen years ago. ;)

[Invincible Summer]

If people are just going to keep posting about how they turned from being fascist bigots into leftists, I think this needs to be moved into chit-chat or something.

[Devrim]

I think Ryan Giggs is a good example.

Devrim

[danyboy27]

most marxist-leninist are former right-winger.

[Sasha]

most marxist-leninist are former right-winger.


former? :rolleyes:

moved to chitchat btw...

[x371322]

I used to be a libertarian, thanks to watching Penn and Teller's Bullshit. Of course Bullshit really says it all. :lol:
I became a leftist after learning about Marx in Sociology in college.

[#FF0000]

I was a libertarian.

then i thought "being poor sort of makes it hard to exercise freedom so you aren't free if you are poor".

I think I was like 8 and I found out that John Stuart Mill says the same fucking thing in "On Liberty", which is a fantastic book to use to beat libertarian up with.

[mikelepore]

As of 1842, Karl H. Marx was only interested in opposing monarchy, the church, and censorship. Those were the topics of his periodical, the Rheinische Zeitung. In 1843 Marx began to think about a socialist economic system for the first time, after having a conversation about it with Moses Hess. Hess's version was a combination of Jewish theology and economic collectivism, but it started Marx thinking about the subject.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I used to have a lot more of a liberal view on the market than I do today. My earliest influences in my political development were names like Molinari, Bastiat, and Tucker. And some more modern people like Karl Hess and Roderick Long.

I was never really into "vulgar libertarians" like Rothbard, though (fortunately).

[danyboy27]

former? :rolleyes:

moved to chitchat btw...

haha lol.

i was a stalinist back in the day, i was an innocent kid back then, flower, kitten and stalin, i even had a USSR flag in my student bedroom.

and then something happened, i realized that i could be something else than a liberal and a stalinist, and i gave up all that praise the lord bullshit.

[Chimurenga.]

I think Ryan Giggs is a good example.

Devrim

A+

[HEAD ICE]

edit: wrong guy

[tbasherizer]

I used to have a bizarre pseudo-Islamic New Age social convservative outlook on life. That was the weirdest part of my life so far. I, it shames me to say, supported George Bush in his first run for president. However, that was when I knew exactly nothing about politics. I then supported my school's teachers going on strike, initially for the reason of wanting to be off school for longer, but then I had an idea that the teachers were actually being exploited. That was when I became a social-democrat. I still thought Marx was insane (without actually having read him, mind you), but that the Soviet Army uniforms looked pretty cool. One thing followed another, then I read books about and then by Marx, then I was hooked. I've since been acquainted with Bakunin and the Anarchists, and I like what I see.

[MarxSchmarx]

Probably my favorite ex-right-winger is Minqi Li, who started out a fairly conventional petty-bourgeois economics students and gradually became convinced of a radical Marxian critique as he traveled throughout China. He has a really compelling personal narrative and his work is usually spot on.

[Nolan]

most marxist-leninist are former right-winger.

You know this how?


former?

HURRRR

[Nolan]

haha lol.

i was a stalinist back in the day, i was an innocent kid back then, flower, kitten and stalin, i even had a USSR flag in my student bedroom.

and then something happened, i realized that i could be something else than a liberal and a stalinist, and i gave up all that praise the lord bullshit.

Some piss-poor ML you were.

[Tablo]

Prior to being class-conscious I was an Anarcho-Cappie, but I didn't really understand politics back then and I can't honestly say I was ever right-wing. I've always wanted freedom and equality.

[The Red Next Door]

I used to a liberal before i came to the far.

[Chimurenga.]

went from conservative - anarkid - apathetic - sort of back to an anarkid but still apathetic - marxist

Anarkid, as in, my understanding was mostly basic. I want to be clear on that.

[this is an invasion]

me lolololol

[AK]

I, it shames me to say, supported George Bush in his first run for president. However, that was when I knew exactly nothing about politics.
I was once with my dad at the voting place during the 2004 Australian federal elections and I got angry at him because he voted for Mark Latham instead of John Howard. I thought it was some sort of sin to vote out a prime minister as it might hurt his feelings :blushing:

[Tablo]

I was once with my dad at the voting place during the 2004 Australian federal elections and I got angry at him because he voted for Mark Latham instead of John Howard. I thought it was some sort of sin to vote out a prime minister as it might hurt his feelings :blushing:
That is funny, but I understand what you are saying. I was once apolitical and at the time would have probably sided with you.

[Angry Young Man]

Moving back to the original topic, Luis Companys

[Robocommie]

I think I was like 8 and I found out that John Stuart Mill says the same fucking thing in "On Liberty", which is a fantastic book to use to beat libertarian up with.

Man what the hell, 8? Is there something in the water where you guys live to make you into Baby Politicos? At 8 the only thing I cared about was ninja turtles. :lol:

[Angry Young Man]

Nah, when he was 6, he saw his dad get executed.

[A Revolutionary Tool]

I was a youngster when 9/11 happened, the first time I got interested in politics was after I got angry over that and listened to Republicans. And now we're at war. *Shame*

[black magick hustla]

tbh ive never harbored right wing views except maybe on some social issues because i grew up in fuckin mexico but still in my early teens i pretty much rejected puritanism. i was an angry child

[piet11111]

haha lol.

i was a stalinist back in the day, i was an innocent kid back then, flower, kitten and stalin, i even had a USSR flag in my student bedroom.

and then something happened, i realized that i could be something else than a liberal and a stalinist, and i gave up all that praise the lord bullshit.

The hell ? i thought i rocked your worldview :cool:

[Panda Tse Tung]

The guy who made the economic policy of the Reagan regime, forgot his name.

[Foldered]

I was never right wing, but I was apolitical for a while. Then I started reading non-fiction.

[Proletarian Ultra]

I was a Republican until I quit drinking. Real nasty Buchananite.

I'm also the only person I know of who supported the Iraq War on correct (although obviously not right) grounds: I figured it would back Israel and Saudi into a corner, strengthen Iran, Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah. Even had a bet going with a Zionist friend of mine.

I won, although I take no pride in it.

[Proletarian Ultra]

Oh, and one of Barry Goldwater's speechwriters became a left-wing anarchist - Karl Hess. Did some nice work providing technology to inner-city schoolchildren, or something.

[RHIZOMES]

Evangelical right-wing Christian til 12/13, then militant Richard Dawkins-esque atheist liberal, brief libertarian phase at 15, read Noam Chomsky and became an anti-imperialist, and the only logical conclusion to anti-imperialism was socialism.

[AK]

I was a Republican until I quit drinking.
I think we may have uncovered a connection...

[NecroCommie]

most marxist-leninist are former right-winger.
I am not. I am an ex-social democrat and a green hippie.

[Tyrlop]

always been a commie and proud <3

[Proletarian Ultra]

I think we may have uncovered a connection...

Ding ding! :lol:

[Tyrlop]

as soon as my name is mentioned in this thread it becomes in chit-chat :( i need more reputation

[Crux]

Céline. Kind of.

[sally]

The italian book and film "my brother is an only child" is about a boy who starts out as a facist and becomes a communist. Good film and book but the translation is not very good.

[Crimson Commissar]

I started out as a Liberal, then became a Social Democrat, now I'm a Communist.

[Red Saxon]

Raised Republican and Conservative. At some point I saw a movie about the Soviet Union (this is where it gets shameful) and got caught up in a Soviet worshiping era of my life. Considered myself a Communist for a long time before I realized that the Classical Communism of the Soviet Union led too easily into State Capitalism, and so then I decided to become a Libertarian Socialist.

[freepalestine]

Raised Republican and Conservative. At some point I saw a movie about the Soviet Union (this is where it gets shameful) and got caught up in a Soviet worshiping era of my life. Considered myself a Communist for a long time before I realized that the Classical Communism of the Soviet Union led too easily into State Capitalism, and so then I decided to become a Libertarian Socialist.
oh now i see yer!:lol:

[Andropov]

The guy who made the economic policy of the Reagan regime, forgot his name.
Anyone know his name, that is fascinating?

[Andropov]

most marxist-leninist are former right-winger.
Where did you come to that conclusion?
I could throw fuel on the fire and respond with some unsubstantiated sectarian slander but tbh its not fair on the rest of your tendency because you really are an exceptional idiot.

[Ismail]

If it counts, Vito Marcantonio. He was nominally a Republican Congressman from New York in the 1930's (because he was opposed to the Democrats, who had the corrupt Tammany Hall system back then in the state) but was in reality a leftist who called for the nationalization of US industries, the defense of the USSR in WWII, opposition to the Korean War (he was the only Congressman to be against it), became a very strong supporter of the independence of Puerto Rico, a strong supporter of civil rights, a criticizer of capitalism, etc. He himself was not a Communist, but he worked a lot with the CPUSA back then. It wasn't long before the Republicans got tired of having a leftist in their party who was attacking FDR from the left, so they ejected him and Marcantonio helped form the US Labor Party in response, which he served in Congress as a member of.

In his last Congressional race he lost to a combined Democratic-Republican candidate, because they all wanted him out.

More info: http://www.monthlyreview.org/0406jjsimon.htm

Also, from FBI files, a citizen sent this to the President:

May 31, 1941
Mr. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Washington, D.C.

My dear Mr. President:

Yesterday afternoon about five o'clock I tuned in on an NBC station and heard the most radical speech I ever heard in my life and it was by some congressman from New York and he talked like an Italian.

Any man who thinks and talks like he did is bound to be a fifth columnist and I hope you will have the G Men tap his wires and trail him twenty-four hours a day and surely he will make a false move so you can pick him up.

[ContrarianLemming]

Noam Chomsky used to be sort of a pro zionist nationalist, even when he was an anarchist, so I'm not sure what to think of him back then, he became an anarchist at 14 or so (a proper one).

I was never right wing, I've been an educated anarchists since I was 13 or so.

[Deny]

Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity run ads for my college. So I think it's safe to say I've gone on some ideological road trips.

[Tyrlop]

what about Konstantin Rodzaevsky who planted the giant neon swastika at their branch in Manchouli at least 3 km from the Soviet border. It was kept on all day and night to provide a show of power against the Soviet government.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RFP_Manchouli_Swastica.jpg
the story tells that During World War II, Rodzaevsky tried to launch an open struggle against Bolshevism, but Japanese authorities limited the RFP’s activities to acts of sabotage in the Soviet Union. A notorious anti-Semite, Rodzaevsky published numerous articles in the party newspapers Our way and The Nation

At the end of the war, Rodzaevsky began to believe that the Soviet regime under Joseph Stalin was evolving into a nationalist one. He gave himself up to Soviet authorities in Kharbin in 1945, with a letter that shows striking similarities with the doctrines of National Bolshevism:

"I issued a call for an unknown leader, ... capable of overturning the Jewish government and creating a new Russia. I failed to see that, by the will of fate, of his own genius, and of millions of toilers, Comrade J V Stalin, the leader of the peoples, had become this unknown leader".

He returned to Russia, where he was promised freedom and a job in one of the Soviet newspapers. Instead, he was arrested (along with his fellow party Lev Okhotin), tried and sentenced to be shot; he was executed in a Lubyanka prison cellar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RFP_Manchouli_Swastica.jpg