Leftism - what is it?

[Leech]

Can some one expalin Leftism? I never heard about that before.

[Moskitto]

Technically left-wing is those who want change and right-wing is those who don't want change. However Leftist is normally used to describe someone with fairly radical views with regard to government and the economy. Today these "Left-Wing Radicals" are socialists, communists and anarchists. But historically they have been Abolishionists, Sufragettes and Desegregationists.

Nowadays though, Leftists are seen (by Americans mainly) as being people who want to give more power to the government and take it away from the people.

[Freiheit]

leftists are social and wanna share.
right-winger support free-enterprise.

[socialistEUROPEAN]

The Left/Right line

If we recognise that this is essentially an economic line it's fine, as far as it goes. We can show, for example, Stalin , Mao Tse Tung and Pol Pot , with their commitment to a totally controlled economy ,on the hard left. Socialists like Mahatma Gandhi and Robert Mugabe would occupy a less extreme leftist position. Margaret Thatcher would be well over to the right, but further right still would be someone like that ultimate free marketeer, General Pinochet.

from http://www.politicalcompass.org

I have been told, 'The Left/Right term came from the old French parliament, where you were sat according to your political, economic and social beliefs.'

[Kez]

Here is the technical defenition:

LEFT-WING:The liberal half of politics. Leftists believe that parts of society that are wrong should be eradicated or reformed, even if they're highly ingrained in that society. They also believe in a non-xenophobic, environmentalist, interantionalist outlook that is free of racism and bigotry and works for the rights of the oppressed. This is totally contrasted by the conservative ideals of the Right-wing. Many well-known activists are obviously leftists: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, etc. Socialists, Democrats, most Communists, and Progressives are all leftists.

comrade kamo

[Guest]

pinochet wasn't a free marketeer, are you a moron.