[lbo-talk] Prospects for Russian SocDems

Chris Doss itschris13 at hotmail.com
Wed Apr 23 10:55:04 PDT 2003



>
>Chris Doss wrote:
>>(and 80% of Russians are left-wing)
>
>What does 'left-wing' mean in Russia? The positions/views.
>
>kjk

What does it mean in everyday political discourse, or what do I mean by the term?

When Russians refer to the "left," they usually mean the KPRF, Agrarians and suchlike: Economically egalitarian, usually nationalistic, not big on democracy as a rule (these are crude caractures of course). The "right" means pro-market economy, usually but not always pro-democracy and free speech, like Yabloko and the odious Union of Right Forces.

Of course this is rough: Gorbachev is certainly in favor of free speech, and the URF has in the past said that authoritarianism is a legitimate means to push through market reforms.

When I use the term, I mean it to mean pro-communitarianism and egalitarianism. I am refering only to economic criteria.

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