Editing Opportunism

Lenin defined '''opportunism''' [[Library:The collapse of the Second International|simply as:]] "an alliance between a section of the workers and the bourgeoisie, directed against the mass of the proletariat." This commonly expresses itself with workers, the [[proletariat]] allying with the [[national bourgeois]]. Famously, many socialist parties during World War II, such as the [[Kpd|German KPD]], sided with their nation's capitalists instead of being against the war like Russia's more successful communist party, the [[Bolsheviks]].

Opportunism is a type of [[Revisionism|revisionist]] tendency that involves sacrificing the long-term interests of the [[proletariat]] in favor of short-sighted and momentary interests, usually of a minority section of the working class,<ref>{{Citation|author=[[Vladimir Lenin]]|year=1915|title=The collapse of the Second International|chapter=|section=|quote=Opportunism means sacrificing the fundamental interests of the masses to the temporary interests of an insignificant minority of the workers or, in other words, an alliance between a section of the workers and the bourgeoisie, directed against the mass of the proletariat.|mia=https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1915/csi/vii.htm}}</ref> or even for personal gain.<ref>{{Citation|author=Andy Blunden|title=Encyclopedia of Marxism|chapter=Opportunism|publisher=Marxists Internet Archive|mia=https://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/o/p.htm#opportunism}}</ref> Opportunists constantly change their political position to exploit certain circumstances according to the political climate, without firm and solid principles behind their words and actions.<ref>{{Citation|author=[[Vladimir Lenin]]|year=1906|title=The Russian radical is wise after the event|quote=The opportunist does not betray his party, he does not act as a traitor, he does not desert it. He continues to serve it sincerely and zealously. But his typical and characteristic trait is that he yields to the mood of the moment, he is unable to resist what is fashionable, he is politically short-sighted and spineless. Opportunism means sacrificing the permanent and essential interests of the party to the momentary, transient and minor interests.|mia=https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1906/oct/18.htm}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|author=[[Vladimir Lenin]]|year=1902|title=What is to be done?|quote=Once again Parvus’ apt observation that it is difficult to catch an opportunist with a formula has been proved correct. An opportunist will readily put his name to any formula and as readily abandon it, because opportunism means precisely a lack of definite and firm principles.|mia=https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1901/witbd/appendix.htm}}</ref> It often involves the upper strata of the [[proletariat]] allying with the [[bourgeoisie]] against the rest of the proletariat.<ref>{{Citation|author=[[Vladimir Lenin]]|year=1915|title=Opportunism, and the Collapse of the Second International|quote=The economic basis of “social-chauvinism” (this term being more precise than the term social-patriotism, as the latter embellishes the evil) and of opportunism is the same, namely, an alliance between an insignificant section at the “top” of the labour movement, and its “own” national bourgeoisie, directed against the masses of the proletariat, an alliance between the servants of the bourgeoisie and the bourgeoisie, directed against the class that is exploited by the bourgeoisie. Social-chauvinism is a consummated opportunism.|publisher=Marxists Internet Archive|mia=https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1915/dec/x01.htm}}</ref>

==Right opportunism==
Right opportunism is a [[Revisionism|revisionist]] struggle within the [[Marxism-Leninism]] movement. Right opportunism is the watering down of the movement by switching its goals from system change, like with the [[dictatorship of the proletariat]] to incremental and reformist goals. Under capitalism, all rights won by workers are in a constant state of decay, liable to be taken away as soon as cracks in pro-worker movements emerge.
==Left opportunism==
Left opportunism is separated from right opportunism in the aspect that, unlike right opportunism, which often includes a 'turning away' from Marxist theory, left opportunism commonly includes the extreme adherence to particular parts of [[Scientific socialism|scientific socialist]] thought, and not to the creation and defense of applied Marxism, as seen in [[Socialist state|socialist states]]. Left opportunism often is at the expense of [[praxis]] (the practice of revolutionary theory), creates [[dogmatism]] (the rigid adherence to particular revolutionary ideas, even if they are not suited to one's material conditions), and promotes factionalism (the division of the revolutionary movement). Left opportunism is most commonly seen with the [[Left-communism|left-communists]], [[Maoism|Maoists]], and [[Hoxhaism|Hoxhaists]].<ref>{{Citation|author=Paul Saba|year=1979|title=Left opportunism, not dogmatism|title-url=https://www.marxists.org/history/erol/ncm-6/silber-pb-2.htm|publisher=Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line|trans-lang=English}}</ref>

== Factionalism ==
Factionalism is nothing more than the undisciplined collaboration of a group of individuals who, for reasons other than legitimate ones grounded in sound theory, design a plan outside the general view of the party and then agree to act in concert in order to accomplish this plan. In the CPUSA this has occurred two major times. The first being lead by [[Earl Browder]], the second being led by [[Sam Webb]].

== See also ==

* [[Left-communism]]
* [[Dogmatism]]
* [[Revisionism]]

== References ==
[[Category:Marxist theory]]
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[[Category:Marxist terminology]]