Suchergebnisse

When the Iron Curtain lifted in 1989, it was seen by some as proof of the final demise of the ideas and aspirations of the radical left. Not many years passed, however, before the critique of social inequalities and capitalism was once again a main protest theme of social movements. This book provides an account of radical left movements in today's Europe and how they are trying to accomplish social and political change. The book's international group of leading experts provide detailed analysis on social movement organizations, activist groups, and networks that are rooted in the left-wing ideologies of anarchism, Marxism, socialism, and communism in both newly democratized post-communist and longstanding liberal-democratic polities. Through a range of case studies, the authors explore how radical left movements are influenced by their situated political and social contexts, and how contemporary radical left activism differs from both new and old social movements on one hand, and the activities of radical left parliamentary parties on the other. Ultimately, this volume investigates what it means to be 'radical left' in current day liberal-democratic and capitalist societies after the fall of European state socialism.--

"Radical Left Voters in Western Europe explores who votes for Radical Left Parties in contemporary Western Europe, and why. Once considered a relic of the past which was doomed to disappear in affluent societies, Radical Left Parties were able to survive unprecedented electoral crises in the 1980s and 1990s to become a stable and significant feature of contemporary West European politics. Despite this, our knowledge of the electorate of contemporary Radical Left parties is extremely limited. To fill this gap, this book analyzes the radical left electorate in 17 West European countries (Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland) for a period of 18 years (2000-2018). The research combines data from multiple sources (surveys, country-level data, and party-level data) to show how, amid social and political change, Radical Left Parties have been able to maintain a relatively sizeable and clearly identifiable electorate with fairly similar socio-demographic and attitudinal features. Moreover, the book argues that in order to explain electoral support for Radical Left Parties it is important to consider not only voter characteristics, but also the characteristics of the parties themselves and of the political and economic context in which they compete for votes. This book will be of interest to scholars of comparative politics, political sociology, electoral behaviour, and political parties"--

The current instability in late capitalism has led to a polarisation of politics. There is a growth of both the far right and the radical left. The re-emergence of a radical left is motivated by left reformist aspirations. But the structures of the state and the pressures of global capital make it impossible to satisfy those aspirations by conventional means.
New transition organisations are required which link together those committed to the overthrow of capitalism with those who want genuine reforms. Such organisations need to sink local roots and develop an electoral presence to overcome media-induced marginalisation. Instead of a purely parliamentary focus, there is a need for strategies of 'people power' with a particular focus on the mobilisation of organised workers.