Leftism is a confusing term. It’s applied to everyone from Joseph Stalin to Joe Biden and has existed since the French Revolution. Why does Leftism exist? Where did it originate, and how has it evolved? Moreover, what does it mean now? Allow me to preface this article with a disclaimer that this is not a history of communism, nor a history of the American Democratic party, simply a journey through Leftist philosophy throughout the centuries.
Leftism originated after the French revolution, and it actually came from a sitting position. People who opposed the ability of the monarch to veto laws would generally sit on the left side of the presiding parliament member’s chair. Leftism then evolved into those in support of the revolution, where the Right was in support of the monarchy. After the failure of the Left’s June Days Rebellion in the mid-1800s, it evolved specific tenets other than the support of the French Republic, namely anti-clericalism, nationalism, socialism, and democracy.
Then came the introduction of Marxism, which would shape the Leftist landscape for centuries to come. With the publication of the Communist Manifesto in 1847, Marxism became a force to be reckoned with in the Leftist political community. Its main tenets are the assertion that the proletariat would inevitably rise against the bourgeoisie and create a moneyless, stateless, and classless society. At this point, there were many Leftist leaders in Europe. They decided to join a highly selective group called the International Workingmen’s Association or First International. It was intended to find a way to create a classless society that had begun to define Leftism. Anarchists were notably excluded.
Leftism developed in its own way in the United States. It was mostly influenced by the 18th-century works of Thomas Paine. Thomas Paine’s theory of asset-based egalitarianism stated that equality was only possible through redistribution of wealth. American Leftists were progressives, trade unionists, and/or social liberals. After the Civil War, Leftism in America came to mean anti-war, pro-civil rights, and pro-union. These anti-war values mimicked the values of Vladimir Lenin and Rosa Luxemburg in the Second International, where Leftist leaders debated on whether or not World War I was justified. Later on, the term “Left-wing” was attached to the Democratic party, despite the party lacking unionist values or major focus on class issues.
Nowadays, Leftism isn’t as serious of a presence in politics. There are no Internationals where Leftist leaders discuss how to eradicate class, and political philosophy isn’t as prevalent of a career as it was 150 years ago. Leftist values have been changed by Stalinists and Maoists and young people on Twitter to fit whichever narrative justifies their own beliefs. But that does not eradicate the international history of Leftist ideology.
