Libertarian Marxism is a school of Marxism that takes a less authoritarian view of Marxist theory than conventional currents such as Stalinism, Trotskyism, and other forms of Marxism-Leninism, as well as a generally less reformist view than do Social Democrats. It is often based upon a reading of Marx's work, such as the Grundrisse and The Civil War in France, that emphasizes the ability of the working class to forge its own destiny without the need for a revolutionary party or state to mediate or aid its liberation. Marxism is the philosophy, social theory and political practice based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German, Jewish, socialist philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary. ... The term authoritarian is used to describe an organization or a state which enforces strong and sometimes oppressive measures against the population, generally without attempts at gaining the consent of the population. ... Stalinism is a brand of political theory, and the political and economic system named after Josef Stalin, who implemented it in the Soviet Union. ... Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. ... Vladimir Lenin in 1920 Leninism is a political and economic theory which builds upon Marxism; it is a branch of Marxism (and it has been the dominant branch of Marxism in the world since the 1920s). ... Social democracy is a political ideology emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from supporters of Marxism who believed that the transition to a socialist society could be achieved through democratic evolutionary rather than revolutionary means. ... The Grundrisse is a lengthy work by the German philosopher Karl Marx, completed in 1858. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... A state is a set of institutions that possess the authority to make the rules that govern a society, having internal and external sovereignty over a definite territory. ...

Libertarian Marxism includes such currents as Autonomist Marxism, Situationism, Council Communism, and World Socialism (although World Socialists, while clearly libertarians who are primarily influenced by Marx, tend not to like the description "Marxist"). Libertarian Marxism has often had a strong influence on both post-left and Social Anarchists. Along with Anarchism, Libertarian Marxism is one of the main currents of Libertarian Socialism. Notable theorists of libertarian Marxism have included Anton Pannekoek, Cornelius Castoriadis, Guy Debord, and Raoul Vaneigem. Autonomism, or Autonomist Marxism is a left-wing political movement and theory. ... The Situationist International (SI), an international political and artistic movement, originated in the Italian village of Cosio dArroscia on 28 July 1957 with the fusion of several extremely small artistic tendencies: the Lettrist International, the International movement for an imaginist Bauhaus, and the London Psychogeographical Association. ... Council communism is a Radical Left movement originating in Germany and the Netherlands in the 1920s. ... ... Post-left anarchy is a recent current in anarchist thought that seeks to distance itself from the traditional left and to escape the confines of ideology in general. ... Social anarchism is a term self-applied by many anarchists of the libertarian socialist thread of anarchism. ... Anarchism is the name for both a political philosophy and political movement, derived from the Greek αναρχία (without archons or without rulers). Thus anarchism, in its most general meaning, is the belief that all forms of domination, coersion, and rulership are undesirable and should be abolished. ... Libertarian socialism is any one of a group of political philosophies dedicated to the abolition of property by restoring direct control of production and resources to the working class. ... Anton Pannekoek Anton Pannekoek (January 2, 1873 – April 28, 1960) was a Dutch astronomer and Marxist theorist. ... Cornelius Castoriadis (Greek: Κορνήλιος Καστοριάδης) (March 11, 1922-December 26, 1997) was born in Constantinople (Istanbul) and his family moved soon after to Athens. ... Guy Debord (December 28, 1931 – November 30, 1994) was a writer, film maker, hypergraphist and founding member of the groups Lettrist International and Situationist International (SI). ... Raoul Vaneigem (born 1934) is a Belgian writer and philosopher. ...

External links

• Libertarian Communist Library
• Situationist International online
• Socialist Party USA