Is there a specific Leftist ideology that suits me?

[Debaser]

I'm new here and this probably should have been in an introduction but I'm keen to learn more about Leftist ideologies and decide if any suit me.

My views:

I believe that a Revolution should take place where I live on the grounds that it would be a Democratic Revolution leading to the establishment of a Democratic Socialist state.

Although not a Pacifist, I strongly disagree with the use of violence unless a very last resort.

I believe workers should have the most say on how they go about their work. Giving the Unions a lot of say in how the country is run is another goal.

Capitalists should be gotten rid of, they are an unnecessary evil in society.

Everyone is equal and should be treated the same, whether they be working or middle class, they all deserve a voice.

I oppose any form of Dictatorship or government where the majority have no say in how the country is run.

Any military should only be a Defence Force with the protection of the people from foreign attack being the only purpose.

Surveillance should be limited, no Secret Police or seedy government organisation watching your every move.

I think that we should gradually move towards a classless society where full equality is achieved and society is free from Capitalist interference.

Sorry if this has been done a thousand times before or if it's in the wrong place. I just want to find out if any specific ideology/tendency suits me more than any other, so I can learn about that.

Thanks.

[Tommy4ever]

You sound pretty Syndacalist.

[Debaser]

Thanks for the response. I'll look into Syndicalism a bit more.

[thesadmafioso]

I believe that a Revolution should take place where I live on the grounds that it would be a Democratic Revolution leading to the establishment of a Democratic Socialist state.


Revisionist swine! Off to OI!

Honestly though, I would say you fall just to the left of being a democratic socialist.

[Rooster]

What Marxist literature have you read?

[Debaser]

What Marxist literature have you read?
I read the Communist Manifesto a while back and have probably forgotten half of it.
Not that much really.
I've read one or two Trotskyist pieces of literature and some Anarchist literature.

Honestly I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to far left literature.

[hatzel]

Okay, let's take a step back...what is a 'democratic socialist state'? I mean, do you envisage a situation like today, but with socialists in power? And how does this fit in with 'I oppose any form of Dictatorship or government where the majority have no say in how the country is run'?

[Weezer]

Keep in mind this post comes from my perspective of a Trotskyist with heavy Marxist-Leninist leanings.


I'm new here and this probably should have been in an introduction but I'm keen to learn more about Leftist ideologies and decide if any suit me.

My views:

I believe that a Revolution should take place where I live on the grounds that it would be a Democratic Revolution leading to the establishment of a Democratic Socialist state.

Democratic socialism could mean a few different things. Do you mean a socialist state with the basis on worker's democracy rather than bureaucrats or a democratic socialist state, which is just managed capitalism?

Keep in mind, standard Marxist theory:
Dictatorship of the Proletariat -> Socialism -> Communism


Although not a Pacifist, I strongly disagree with the use of violence unless a very last resort.

Senseless violence like terrorism is a big no-no for any sane revolutionary leftist. Violence is part of revolution, a part of change.


I believe workers should have the most say on how they go about their work. Giving the Unions a lot of say in how the country is run is another goal.

Meet Daniel De Leon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_De_Leon).


Everyone is equal and should be treated the same, whether they be working or middle class, they all deserve a voice.

If by "middle class" you mean that the working class and middle class are distinct classes, I'm sorry, but to put it bluntly, you are wrong.

Classes are not determined by wealth(though it is a factor). Classes are determined by the amount of the means of production that you own. The standard archetypes of the Western working and middle class own the same amount of the means of production: zero.


I oppose any form of Dictatorship or government where the majority have no say in how the country is run.

So you are against bureaucracy, I would presume? Understandable. Dictatorship has a special meaning in Marxist theory, where it's not referring to an autocratic state, but a tool of a class struggle.

Right now, we live under a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. This dictatorship encompasses democracies, republics, monarchies, and any country but a select few(mainly Cuba), who still manage to hold up their dictatorships of the proletariat, which will probably collapse in a few years anyways.

How do we break the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie? By the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat, where the proletariat is the ruling class. The dictatorship of the proletariat does not guarantee socialism or communism. The dictatorship of the proletariat is not an economic stage. It's a revolutionary period between capitalism and socialism. In order for a new economic system to be established, it has to encompass at least the majority of the world, if not all countries.


Surveillance should be limited, no Secret Police or seedy government organisation watching your every move.

There can't be 0% government intervention, but I agree government surveillance should be limited.


I think that we should gradually move towards a classless society where full equality is achieved and society is free from Capitalist interference.

aka Communism, classless, thus stateless, thus wageless.

I think you would probably be a Libertarian Marxist, Anarcho-Syndicalist, or De Leonist.

[Rooster]

I read the Communist Manifesto a while back and have probably forgotten half of it.
Not that much really.
I've read one or two Trotskyist pieces of literature and some Anarchist literature.

Honestly I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to far left literature.

Yeah, I kinda figured. I honestly wouldn't worry too much about which tendency you think you belong too right now. All I can recommend is that you read some of the key texts that have been mentioned in a variety of other threads just to get the hang of a general over view of what Marxism means. You should hang around this forum and read and ask questions too. There's a cool little second hand communist book shop in Glasgow on London Road that you should pop into. It's called the Red Bookshop (http://eastdunbartonshiressp.blogspot.com/2008/06/when-in-glasgow-visit-wee-red-bookshop.html). It's only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday but you can get a bunch of decent books for a few quid each. Also, if you can get to Edinburgh, there's a Marxist discussion group in the Royal Oak pub. (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001943916537) I think they might be right up your street. There's also another communist book shop not far from there but their copies tend to be full price and new(er).

So yeah, just learn the key concepts first. Then I think you'd be in a better position to decide and take into account other writers and tendencies.

[Uncle Rob]

Ideology isn't your grandmas knitted sweatshirt

[The Idler]

Its too little to go on to say what ideology suits you. Continue reading, particularly over your assumptions about what you think is desirable.

[Debaser]

Yeah, I kinda figured. I honestly wouldn't worry too much about which tendency you think you belong too right now. All I can recommend is that you read some of the key texts that have been mentioned in a variety of other threads just to get the hang of a general over view of what Marxism means. You should hang around this forum and read and ask questions too. There's a cool little second hand communist book shop in Glasgow on London Road that you should pop into. It's called the Red Bookshop. It's only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday but you can get a bunch of decent books for a few quid each. Also, if you can get to Edinburgh, there's a Marxist discussion group in the Royal Oak pub. I think they might be right up your street. There's also another communist book shop not far from there but their copies tend to be full price and new(er).

So yeah, just learn the key concepts first. Then I think you'd be in a better position to decide and take into account other writers and tendencies.
Thanks, I'll check the bookshop out.

Also thanks for all the responses they have been very helpful.

[bezdomni]

The best ideology that fits everybody is "nobody-knows-all-the-answers-and-we-are-all-still-learning"ism.

Why are there so many threads like this where somebody is asking to get boxed up into a pre-fabricated ideology? Think for yourselves!

[Rooster]

There are also some books I recommend to you that might give you a good history of marxist thought. There is Hal Draper's short Two Souls of Socialism (http://www.marxists.org/archive/draper/1966/twosouls/), Leszek Kiolakowski's lengthy historical tome Main Currents of Marxism and Eric Hobsbawm's How to Change the World. I haven't read the last one but a comrade of mine has and they recommend it.

[Old Mole]

Not to be an ass or anything, but... Communism is not a product to consume, there is indeed quite a lot of threads with the same theme as in this one. Instead of searching for some grand leftist ideology that for some reason was meant for you why dont get engaged in struggle instead? It is only through practice that theory has meaning. "All mysteries which lead theory to mysticism find their rational solution in human practice and in the comprehension of this practice."/Marx, Theses on Feuerbach

[Luc]

You can't have a State without coercive violence, secret police, inequailty, rule by a minority, an agressive military (usually disguised as defensive), and "seedy government organisation"s.

Drop the State in the trash can and be an Anarchist ;)

Check out Statism and Anarchy, by Mikhail Bakunin

"When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called "the People's Stick."
-Mikhail Bakunin, Statism and Anarchy

As for something constructive: I think your method "Democratic Revolution leading to the establishment of a Democratic Socialist state" and "disagree with the use of violence" is somewhere along the lines of Impossiblism, though I could be mistaken. (Note: Impossiblism isn't an insult but an actual method)

Ther best advice is do some more reading. Atleast read up on them on Wikipedia and then decide for yourself or else partisans like me will just try and get you to join their ideaology.

[NoOneIsIllegal]

Just read a lot. Tedious, right? That's how I figured it out. I always study different ideas, ideologies, and history. I tried to label myself for a long time, but I started to see a few flaws and mistakes, so I read a lot of varying leftist literature and it eventually came to me. I still try to read a lot of different perspective (I own more books written by Marxists then anarchists, if that says anything).

Read different authors who have different ideas/tendencies, and read about different issues as well and see how you feel about what they propose and say, and what you think. This may sound tedious and may take dreadfully long, but honestly I think it's the best way to go about it. You'll gain a lot of knowledge and insight while shaping your own views.