Anti-Revisionist

In the communist or Marxist-Leninist movement, an anti-revisionist is one who favors a strict interpretation of the ideology in accordance with the teachings of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao. The term is generally seen as positive, not pejorative, and used in self-description by the "anti-revisionists" themselves.

Related Topics:
Communist - Marxist-Leninist - Marx - Engels - Lenin - Stalin - Mao - Pejorative

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To an anti-revisionist, the populist/People's War core of Maoism and the anti-fascism of Stalin's policies are seen as fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism that cannot be abandoned lest the principles of communism as a whole be abandoned along with them. Anti-revisionism is seen by its followers as a healthy, solid, scientific ideological road, devoid of both the alleged corruption and elitism of Trotskyism, and the perceived idealism of Left Communism.

Related Topics:
Populist - People's War - Maoism - Anti-fascism - Stalin - Marxism-Leninism - Communism - Scientific - Corruption - Elitism - Trotskyism - Idealism - Left Communism

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The opposite term, revisionism, is most often used pejoratively. In its original sense, "anti-revisionism" was used at the beginning of the twentieth century during the split between Leninist groups and democratic socialists. The Leninists called themselves "anti-revisionists" because they opposed the revisionists; that is, opposed the democratic socialists who believed that Marx's ideas should be revised to allow for the possibility of socialistic progress without revolution.

Related Topics:
Revisionism - Pejorative - Leninist - Democratic socialists - Marx - Revolution

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The term, while positive, and useful in differentiating an opposition from the Radical Left from those affiliated with both Trotskyism and Left Communism, is usually controversial among those who claim to adhere to it. Groups will sometimes fight over which of them is really the "true" anti-revisionist.

Related Topics:
Radical Left - Trotskyism - Left Communism

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Self-proclaimed anti-revisionists oppose the reforms initiated in some communist countries by leaders like Khrushchev in the Soviet Union and Deng Xiaoping in China.

Related Topics:
Communist countries - Khrushchev - Soviet Union - Deng Xiaoping - China

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During the Sino-Soviet split, the governments of the People's Republic of China under Mao Zedong and Albania under Hoxha proclaimed themselves as taking an anti-revisionist line and denounced Khrushchev. In the United States, those who supported China or Albania during the Sino-Soviet split were expelled from the United States Communist Party under orders from Moscow, and in 1961 they formed the Progressive Labor Movement. Anti-revisionist groups were further divided by the Sino-Albanian split, with those following Albania being loosely described as Hoxhaist.

Related Topics:
Sino-Soviet split - People's Republic of China - Mao Zedong - Albania - Hoxha - United States - United States Communist Party - 1961 - Progressive Labor Movement - Sino-Albanian split - Hoxhaist

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Several other small Stalinist or Maoist political parties in the United States, such as the Revolutionary Communist Party USA, see themselves as anti-revisionist. Not every contemporary communist party adhering to elements of anti-revisionism necessarily adopts the label "anti-revisionist". These organizations may call themselves Maoist, Marxist-Leninist or even just simply "revolutionary communist".

Related Topics:
Stalinist - Maoist - United States - Revolutionary Communist Party USA - Communist party - Marxist-Leninist

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The Workers Party of Korea claims an anti-revisionist political line today; however, this may not be an accurate label, either in self-description or description by others, because of the supersedence of Marxist-Leninist thought in North Korea by the ideology of Juche.

Related Topics:
Workers Party of Korea - North Korea - Juche

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