The historic errors of the Left
Not seeing long-term tendencies and progressive gains
There are three principal limitations of the Left, which limit its influence among the people, in spite of the Left’s historic commitment to peace, social justice, and full democracy for all. (1) Insufficient historical consciousness, which renders the Left incapable of understanding and explaining long term tendencies. (2) Its taking of sides in the cultural wars among the people, instead of promoting and defending structures that facilitate civil and reasoned discussion among the people with respect to difficult cultural issues. (3) Its failure to understand and explain the necessary role of the state in promoting the productivity of the national economy and the social wellbeing of the people. These shortcomings are evident in Dossier No. 70 (November 2023) of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, entitled “What Can We Expect from the New Progressive Wave in Latin America?”
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Understanding long-term historic tendencies
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