Left-conservatism encompasses a range of political stances that combine left-wing economics with social and cultural conservatism. Left-conservatism is sometimes referred to as socialist conservatism, though these terms are not necessarily identical in meaning. Left-conservative parties have also been called "left-traditional" (defined by the London School of Economics as "pro-redistribution and anti-immigration/LGBTQ rights"), or "left-authoritarian".
Left-conservatism was the typical configuration for the ideological inclinations of historical Marxist–Leninist states. Often manifesting itself in Old Left–inspired Marxist parties, modern left-conservatism places a greater emphasis on materialism, collectivism, and class struggle than mainstream conservatism, while also rejecting the fight for social justice on issues that are not directly related to the class struggle.- Todd Gitlin, "The Left's Lost Universalism", in Arthur M. Melzer, Jerry Weinberger, and M. Richard Zinman, eds., Politics at the Turn of the Century, pp. 3–26 (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001)- Some left-conservatives view class struggle as having evolved into a struggle between civilizations.Bozóki, A and Ishiyama, J (2002). The Communist Successor Parties of Central and Eastern Europe. p. 245. Supporters of left-conservatism uphold Marxian economics, socialist economics, or Keynesianism, and generally hold negative views on the New Left, immigration, intersectionality, abortion, drugs, bourgeois feminism, LGBT rights, environmentalism, or the abolition of capital punishment.
Overview Left-conservatism oftensynthesizes left-wing economics and a vanguardist approach to social justice with socially conservative stances, such as the defense of the family and traditional conservative values, opposition to abortion rights, opposition to immigration, and an opposition to the legalization of drugs, sex work, or certain alcoholic beverages.Gerhard, Jane F. Desiring revolution: second-wave feminism and the rewriting of American sexual thought, 1920 to 1982, New York: Columbia University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-231-11204-1.Gurstein, Rochelle. "'Puritanism' as Epithet: Common Standards and the Fate of Reticence", Salmagundi, No. 101/102 (Winter–Spring 1994), pp. 95–116. Left-conservatism is often associated with gender-critical feminist, antiglobalist, left-wing populist, and left-wing nationalist political groups. Left-conservative groups typically espouse anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-Americanist, anti-Western, Eurosceptic, and anti-environmentalist views.
The conservative-left is often compared to the Old Left and is influenced by historical Marxist–Leninist movements. The Marxist–Leninist countries of the "real socialism" tradition were often characterized by a union of communist and socially conservative policies, which their leaderships dubbed in line with the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels on issues such as homosexuality, bourgeois feminism, patriarchy, abortion, contraception, and prostitution.Llovio-Menéndez, José Luis. Insider: My Hidden Life as a Revolutionary in Cuba (New York: Bantam Books, 1988), pp. 156–158, 172–174.Lee Lockwood, (1967), Castro's Cuba, Cuba's Fidel, revised edition (October 1990), p. 124, ISBN 0-8133-1086-5 The conservative-left continues to emphasize the positions of "real socialism", including class conflict, proletarian internationalism, and social conservatism.Kaufman, Cynthia (2003). Ideas for Action: Relevant Theory for Radical Change. South End Press. ISBN 9780896086937.Gitlin, Todd. "The Lost Universalism of the Left", in Melzer, Arthur M.; Weinberger, Jerry; and Zinman, M. Richard (eds.), Politics at the Turn of the Century, pp. 107–110. 3–26 (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001)Farred, Grant (2000). "Final Identity? Mapping the New Roots of Left Identity Politics", New Literary History. 31 (4): 627–648. doi:10.1353/nlh.2000.0045. JSTOR 20057628. S2CID 144650061
Per country
Africa
South Africa The uMkhonto weSizwe Party is a self-proclaimed socialist and left-wing populist party in South Africa founded by Jacob Zuma. The party participates in the Progressive Caucus led by the Marxist–Leninist Economic Freedom Fighters party. It has been described as a "radical left-wing party" for its support of socialist and populist causes, but is also described as conservative-left or as being part of the right-wing to far-right due to its use of anti-foreigner and anti-LGBT rhetoric. The party supports monarchism and looks to expand the powers of traditional tribal monarchs in South Africa.
Tanzania The ruling Tanzanian Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party has been described as both centre-left and conservative. Originally an African socialist party and a supporter of the Ujamaa system, it has since transitioned to supporting a mixed economy, while adopting more conservative stances on cultural issues, including homosexuality and birth control. Social conservative policies within the CCM were especially prominent under John Magufuli, who served as President of Tanzania from 2015 to his 2021 death.
Asia Cambodia The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has been described as a left-conservative party. The CPP previously adhered to Buddhist socialism and Marxism–Leninism, before embracing conservatism and monarchism in 1991. Despite the ideological shift, the party continues to follow the "principles of Leninist party organization" and retains a "communist party structure pervading all administrative levels and institutions in Cambodia". The party is additionally considered to have "embedded the legacy of communism based on Leninist ideology" into its party policies, as it continues to use socialist-oriented rhetoric and policies to maintain legitimacy, such as through promoting gender egalitarianism and establishing state-backed organizations such as the Kampuchea Revolutionary Women's Association. The CPP hosted a Socialist International meeting in 2004, remains a close ally of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and most party members are former communists.
China
In China, orthodox Marxist–Leninist ideological bureaucrats who were skeptical of the Chinese economic reforms were simultaneously regarded as both left-wing and conservative. The left-conservative faction of the post-reform and opening up Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is represented by the supporters of Chen Yun, Deng Liqun, and Xi Jinping Thought within the party.改革派（窓・論説委員室から）. 朝日新聞・夕刊. January 26, 1993. "中国のばあい、改革派は市場経済移行を説き、保守派はマルクス主義や統制にこだわる。つまり、保守派が左傾しているのだ。香港の雑誌で「保守左派」という言葉も見た。一部の専門家は、このまぎらわしさをきらって、保守派を守旧派と言い換えている。" Since Xi Jinping became the CCP General Secretary in 2012, the CCP has pushed for socially conservative and nationalist reforms, including crackdown on LGBTQ+ activism and feminism, and encouragement for traditional family values. At the same time, economic reforms that aim to address rising inequalities and corruptions was also implemented by the CCP under Xi Jinping. However, Xi Jinping is also considered a "traditionalist" or "neoauthoritarian" politician; CCP's neoauthoritarianism was described as "right-wing" by the liberal Chinese-Canadian sociologist Yuezhi Zhao. Jiang Shigong, a Schmittian thinker, is a "conservative socialist" exponent of Xi Jinping Thought and is opposed to liberalism in China.
According to studies conducted by the Cato Institute and Stanford University, as well as an independent study done in 2022, Chinese citizens who support socially conservative and nationalist policies are more likely to support economic socialism and oppose capitalism; while Chinese who support globalization and socially progressive policies are more likely to support free-market capitalism.
Iran The "Khomeinist Left" () or "Islamic Left" () played a crucial role in the early years of the Iranian Revolution, advocating for social justice and anti-imperialism. They combined cultural and religious conservatism (strict adherence to Islamic law and the Velayat-e Faqih) with left-wing economic policies. The Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line was a leading organization within the Khomeinist Left, which led the Iran hostage crisis. However, many figures within the Khomeinist Left have become Islamic liberal "Reformists" since the 1990s. In 1991, the left-wing Khomeinist political party, the Assembly of the Forces of Imam's Line, was founded.
In the 1990s, as the "Reformists" increasingly embraced market liberalism, the political space for the Islamic Left was largely vacated. This created a vacuum that was filled in the 2000s by the right-wing populism of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Emerging from the Islamic conservative "Principlists", Ahmadinejad maintained a hardline stance on Islamic social values and national sovereignty while simultaneously pursuing an economic agenda of massive wealth redistribution and anti-elitist rhetoric. Scholars have characterized this synthesis as "plebeian conservatism" or "radical conservatism" due to its departure from the pro-market stances of the traditional Iran's Islamic Right. Consequently, his movement has been described as a form of left-conservatism, though within the Iranian establishment, it was later marginalized and pejoratively labeled as the "deviant current" by more traditionalist Principlists.
Europe Denmark The Social Democrats have been described as left-conservative under the leadership of Mette Frederiksen. Under her leadership, the party adopted an oppositional stance on immigration, particularly in regards to immigrants from Muslim-majority countries, framing it as a response to the perceived negative aftereffects of globalization. It has also generally downplayed certain sociocultural issues, such as gender and race, in its programme.
Estonia The Estonian Centre Party has been described as left-conservative, and the party supports a strict immigration and migrant policy. Against the backdrop of Estonia's economically liberal policies, the Centre Party has a reputation of being more left-leaning.Mari-Liis Jakobson 2012, pages 25, 59 They promote keeping the minimum wage steady while trying to reduce economic inequality.
France The views of Fabien Roussel, national secretary of the French Communist Party, have been described as left-conservative. Roussel frames communism as a patriotic French movement, supports nuclear power, and opposes the "handout left".
Germany In the modern politics of Germany, the term Querfront is often used to refer to movements and ideologies which aim to combine the stances of the economic left and the conservative right. The most notable German Querfront publications are Compact, which is run by former left-wing activist Jürgen Elsässer, and Manova News, operated by Jens Wernicke. During the COVID-19 protests in Germany, left-wingers and conservatives sometimes protested together against the German government's prevention measures.
Sahra Wagenknecht and her Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) political party are noted for their "conservative leftist" outlook. BSW's platform emphasizes a redistributionist economic program and policies favoring the economic interests of the working class while adopting conservative stances on cultural issues. Wagenknecht criticized the democratic socialist Die Linke party for ceasing "to reflect the outlook of poorer Germans" and for intolerant "wokeness".
Greece The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) rejects the ideas of the New Left, generally maintaining left-conservative and Marxist–Leninist positions. KKE voted against the introduction of same-sex civil unions in 2015, but has also criticized homophobia and discrimination in general.