Page "Libertarian socialism" Paragraph 62

In the People's Republic of China ( PRC ) since 1967, the terms Ultra-Left and left communist refers to political theory and practice self-defined as further " left " than that of the central Maoist leaders at the height of the GPCR (" Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution ").

The terms are also used retroactively to describe some early 20th century Chinese anarchist orientations.

As a slur, the Communist Party of China ( CPC ) has used the term " ultra-left " more broadly to denounce any orientation it considers further " left " than the party line.

According to the latter usage, in 1978 the CPC Central Committee denounced as " ultra-left " the line of Mao Zedong from 1956 until his death in 1976.

" Ultra-Left " refers to those GPCR rebel positions that diverged from the central Maoist line by identifying an antagonistic contradiction between the CPC-PRC party-state itself and the masses of workers and " peasants " conceived as a single proletarian class divorced from any meaningful control over production or distribution.

Whereas the central Maoist line maintained that the masses controlled the means of production through the Party's mediation, the Ultra-Left argued that the objective interests of bureaucrats were structurally determined by the centralist state-form in direct opposition to the objective interests of the masses, regardless of however " red " a given bureaucrat's " thought " might be.

Whereas the central Maoist leaders encouraged the masses to criticize reactionary " ideas " and " habits " among the alleged 5 % of bad cadres, giving them a chance to " turn over a new leaf " after they had undergone " thought reform ," the Ultra-Left argued that " cultural revolution " had to give way to " political revolution " – " in which one class overthrows another class ".