Criticism of democracy in selected trends of radical 
political thought in Europe at the beginning of the 21st century Cover Image

Krytyka demokracji w wybranych nurtach radykalnej myśli politycznej w Europie na początku XXI wieku
Criticism of democracy in selected trends of radical political thought in Europe at the beginning of the 21st century

Author(s): Paweł Malendowicz
Subject(s): Government/Political systems, Radical sociology , Politics and Identity
Published by: Instytut Zachodni im. Zygmunta Wojciechowskiego
Keywords: democracy; radicalism; political thought; anarchism; legitimism; nationalism; communism

Summary/Abstract: The subject of the article is criticism of democracy in selected trends of radical political thought in Europe at the beginning of the 21st century. The aim of the article is to identify anti-democratic and radical trends of political thought and their basic assumptions concerning the critique of the Western European type of democracy. The description of their definition of "true democracy" is also an aim of the study.The author formulated the following hypothesis: the selected trends of radical political thought were based on the criticism of democracy, in which Western European democracy is interpreted as a "fiction" of democracy, "undemocracy" or a system contrary to nature and religion. "True democracy" or some other desired political system should be based on values other than those of liberal democracy. In order to verify the hypothesis, the author analyzed the political programs, journalistic texts and propaganda manifestos of selected radical political movements, including informal groups, organizations and political parties active in European countries in the two decades of the 21st century. They were: nationalists, legitimist monarchists, Leninist Marxists, Trotskyists and anarchists.

  • Issue Year: 383/2022
  • Issue No: 02
  • Page Range: 7-24
  • Page Count: 18
  • Language: English, Polish