Liberal Marxism
Liberal Marxism is an approach that combines elements of Marxism and liberal thought, seeking to reconcile core liberal values such as individual rights and democracy with Marxist critiques of capitalism and class.
Liberal Marxism can also be viewed as liberal socialism in a broad sense, but liberal socialism in a narrow sense often refers to social liberalism or social democracy that supports social ownership and the rights of property. Karl Marx is generally known as a critic of liberalism and liberal rights. However, some socialists claim that he praised the achievements of liberalism, such as freedom of speech, and defended the substantive freedom, only criticizing the freedom in the great inequality of wealth and power. Indeed, Karl Marx was himself a radical-liberal and a prominent member of the Young Hegelians during his youth, a period in which he strongly advocated for freedom of the press and democratic reforms.
By country
China
In the 1980s, liberal Marxists opposed 'ultra-leftist' policies and advocated for reformist socialism. They viewed Western liberal democracy as a model of institutions capable of restraining the abuse of power, such as freedom of press and the liberal right to organize.Today, the Chinese Communist Party still advocates "Marxism–Leninism", and there are some "liberal wing" intellectuals like Wang Yang and Qin Hui.
Czechoslovakia
is a slogan related to programs promoted by Alexander Dubček and his colleagues in the late 1960s and sought to promote moderate democratization, economic modernization, and political liberalization based on Marxism.Japan
The Japanese Communist Party supports a multi-party liberal democracy that is distinct from authoritarian one-party systems in other communist-ruled countries such as the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union.Russia
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, identified himself as a "Marxist" but implemented social democratic liberal reforms such as Perestroika and Glasnost, which promoted greater civil liberties and moderate market liberalization.Liberal Marxism emerged in Russian academic discourse after dissolution of the Soviet Union, a period of time to explore new economic and ideological frameworks; Russian economists Aleksandr Buzgalin and A. Kolganov published a paper, Do We Need Liberal Marxism? in the July 2004 issue of the Russian economic journal Voprosy Ekonomiki.