Far-left politics

Far-left politics are politics further to the left on the political spectrum than the standard political left. The far-left encompasses a wide range of heterogeneous ideologies, mainly anarchism and communism; it includes groups that advocate for revolutionary socialism and related communist ideologies, as well as anti-capitalism and anti-globalisation. The modern far-left distinguishes itself from social democracy through its inherent opposition to capitalism, neoliberalism, and globalisation. Anarchist strains of far-left thought are anti-authoritarian in nature, and most far-left schools of thought aim at a classless, stateless society. Leninist-led revolutions advocated for the eventual withering away of the state through a transitional socialist phase, though mainstream Western scholarship and historians generally characterize the resulting governance structures as authoritarian.

Some far-left movements have used democratic methods to pursue their goals, and this has become more prominent in industrialized nations following the Great Recession. Historically, the far-left has often achieved electoral success by forming coalitions with social democrats. Some parts of the anti-authoritarian far left consider violence justified against what it sees as capitalist repression, while the revolutionary far-left in developing nations has formed armed insurgencies. Leninist and anarchist movements advocate to realise their ideals through political violence rather than peaceful processes. Consequently, some resort to far-left terrorism and revolution to achieve their goals.