Far left

The term far left refers to the relative position a person or group occupies within the political spectrum. Originally the term considered the arrangements of seating in the French Assembly during the French Revolution with the most radical of the Jacobins being seated on the far left of the chamber. The term "Jacobin" for a kind of far-left person continued throughout much of the nineteenth century.

The Far left and the Radical Left often overlap in terms of belief, tactics, strategy and organizational affiliation, but the far left is a more general term that can include groups and politics that the Radical Left in particular might explicitly oppose and denounce. The term ultra-left, meanwhile, is distinct from both of the aforementined classifications, and is a term more often used pejoratively than self-descriptively.

In modern times it is ideally used to describe persons or groups who hold radical egalitarian views thus supporting radical social and political change by taking over or overthrowing the existing order in society. It can also include an anarchistic hostility to most or all existing hierarchical organizations. Between groups on the far left, depending on a group's militancy and the given political circumstances, revolutionary change may be achieved through democratic or authoritarian, violent or nonviolent means.

Groups that advocate some form of revolution without being egalitarian, are generally not part of the far left.

For much of the English speaking world, especially Australia and the United States, it is sometimes a pejorative term to indicate a person is extreme or fringe in their left-wing views (the synonym "hard left" is also used for this purpose). In France, the term extrême-gauche is normally only used for Trotskyists, Maoists or other New Leftists, or anarchist parties or groups, while the French Communist Party is not considered far left. The political difference seems to be that far-left groups do not actually wish to govern within the current institutional framework, while the Communist Party seeks to govern, possibly even in coalitions.

Although the modern term is ideally to be used for advocates of radical egalitarianism, internationalism, and social change, it is often used for something slightly different from that. To be precise, the modern use of the term far left is often more to describe those seen as strongly opposed to (neoliberal) globalization, capitalism, and nationalism.

In some nations it is defined as "to the Left of mainstream Communist parties" as communist parties are acceptable in quite a few nations. Hence it includes Trotskyism, Maoism, Anti-Revisionists, Anarcho-communism, Anarcho-syndicalism, and others strongly opposed to capitalist governments and institutions.

In nations where Communist parties are not acceptable, like the United States, it can simply mean to the "Left of the most left-wing member of the legislature." "Far left" can also describe groups who support an intense "cultural revolution" on anti-traditional lines, like the most extreme thinkers in Radical Feminism. Sometimes the term "far left" is used pejoratively by those on the right wing to describe any view they perceive as hostile to capitalism. Others on the right-wing may use it to mean someone strongly antitheist even if their politics are otherwise centrist or even to the right.

The term "far left" must be understood as relative to either the speaker or the context in which they are speaking. Two hundred years ago, for example, anyone who supported secularism and universal suffrage would be seen as on the Far Left. This view is expressed in Progressivism, which assumes that progress (usually eccentric for the circumstances) is always positive.

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