Marxism Research Network
Unofficial English Translation

Lei Xiaohuan: Research on Foreign Left-Wing Ideologies and Movements under the COVID-19 Pandemic – An Overview of Foreign Left-Wing Thought Research in 2020

Marxism Abroad

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, the basic contradictions of capitalism became further externalized and publicized during the "major test" of national pandemic responses. Addressing the current coronavirus pandemic and the numerous challenges facing the world, foreign leftist scholars have conducted in-depth analytical critiques of contemporary capitalism. They argue that the current moment is an advantageous time for revolution and call for the global left to unite in launching a worldwide resistance movement to thoroughly transform the existing capitalist system and establish socialism. At the same time, the domestic academic community in 2020 evaluated the current state of development of foreign Marxism in the 21st century, conducting deep research into foreign leftist thought and movements, which yielded several important research results.

I. Dynamics of Foreign Leftist Thought in 2020

The year 2020 coincided with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Engels and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Lenin. Foreign leftist scholars took these occasions as opportunities to publish a large volume of articles researching the thought of Engels and Lenin and its contemporary value, launching critiques of neoliberalism and racial capitalism, and engaging in extensive discussions on the question of socialism. As China's influence continues to grow, foreign leftist scholars have explored and analyzed the value and significance of socialism with Chinese characteristics, particularly its positive impact on world socialism, speaking highly of the institutional advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics manifested in the major test of the pandemic.

The 2020 "Marxism Festival" was held in London, UK, in July of that year, hosted by the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) of Britain. The "Marxism Festival" has been held for over 30 years; this year’s theme was "A Planet on Fire, a World to Win." Thousands of leftist activists, trade unionists, and scholars from around the world participated in the event, focusing discussions on climate issues, resistance to fascism and the far right, and the Palestine and Middle East issues. 2020 also marked the 30th anniversary of the founding of the São Paulo Forum (FSP). Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's forum did not hold an offline conference, but several commemorative articles were published on Cuban websites. Freadia Rubio pointed out that the current global environment is complex: coups d’état, neoliberalism, racism, the increasingly inhumane blockades implemented by the U.S. government, and a massive amount of "fake news," which is why the São Paulo Forum remains important 30 years after its founding. Cuban intellectual and politician Abel Prieto Jiménez noted in a commemorative article that under the current situation in Latin America, the São Paulo Forum is more important than ever because a new form of fascism is taking shape. On this anniversary, one theme the São Paulo Forum needs to focus on is the cultural war with capitalism.

On August 25, 2020, the book launch for International Contributions and Global Significance of China's Fight Against the Epidemic: Foreign Perspectives on China's Anti-Epidemic Efforts and the international seminar on "The Fight Against COVID-19 and Building a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity"—co-sponsored by the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and the World Socialism Research Center—was held in Beijing. It received attention and enthusiastic responses from many foreign leftist parties and scholars; experts and scholars from more than ten countries, including Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic, Japan, and Greece, presented their views on the meeting’s theme. In November of the same year, the 11th World Socialism Forum, hosted by CASS, was held in Beijing, attracting active participation from leftist thinkers and intellectuals from countries such as Nepal, Russia, the UK, Italy, and Japan. The conference was conducted in a combined online and offline format. Participating Chinese and foreign scholars focused on the forum's theme, "The Centenary of the Communist Party of China and the Great Changes Unseen in a Century," engaging in spirited discussions.

II. Research on Important Foreign Leftist Theories and Hot-button Issues

(1) Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Engels’s Birth and the 150th Anniversary of Lenin’s Birth

As 2020 marked the 200th anniversary of Engels’s birth and the 150th anniversary of Lenin’s birth, foreign leftist publications and websites published a large number of articles researching them. Foreign leftist scholars took the commemoration of Engels’s birth as a theme to explore his theoretical contributions and contemporary value. Several foreign leftist parties issued statements and held seminars to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Lenin’s birth.

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, Engels's thoughts on the Dialectics of Nature received particular attention. John Bellamy Foster evaluated Engels as one of the founders of modern ecological thought, whose groundbreaking achievement was using a dialectical view of nature to elucidate all four materialist "origin" problems left over after Darwin: the origin of the universe, the origin of life, the origin of human society, and the origin of the family. Today, in the context of epidemics represented by the COVID-19 virus, Engels's insights have gained new importance and are indispensable for understanding ecological issues. [1] Paul Blackledge argued that Engels's dialectics of nature opened up a space for people to understand the ecological crisis from the perspective of the alienated nature of capitalist social relations. Engels's view of the unity of man and nature makes people realize that a socialist revolution involves not only the transformation of social and political relations but also necessarily involves a fundamental transformation of the relationship between humans and nature. [2] Wolfgang Streeck argued that Engels opened another thread of historical materialist research. In this thread, the means of destruction coexist with the means of production, and the formation of the state is linked to the formation of classes; compared to Marx’s production-centered theory of history, the theory of class formation better fits the reality of the twentieth century. [3] Katja Henke reviewed three of Engels’s works—The Condition of the Working Class in England, Anti-Dühring, and The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State—arguing that Engels’s reflections encourage people to find a method to replace the decayed capitalist system amid the worldwide crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. [4]

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Lenin’s birth, the Plenum of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) passed relevant resolutions. Gennady Zyuganov, Chairman of the Central Committee, delivered a series of important speeches on Lenin's historical position, the contribution of Lenin's thought and practice to Marxist theory and the world socialist movement, and the practical significance of commemorating Lenin. The CPRF maintains that Lenin was a great thinker and revolutionary, the founder of the Bolshevik Party, and the architect of the Soviet Union; he dedicated his life to the struggle for the liberation of the proletariat and the broad masses of working people from the exploitation of capital and to the creation of a new world without war or national oppression. [5] On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Lenin's birth, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Mexico issued a statement summarizing Lenin's theoretical contributions, arguing that through his study of Marxist political economy, Lenin proposed that imperialism is the highest stage of capitalist development. This theory is crucial for understanding the dynamics of capitalism and the connection between capitalist crises and imperialist wars. Furthermore, Lenin made outstanding contributions to the analysis of the developmental stages of capitalism, the theory of Party building, the theory of the state, and research into Marxist philosophy. [6] The Party of Labour of Austria issued a statement arguing that Lenin proposed the guidelines for establishing a new type of political party and the guidelines for democratic centralism, and made important theoretical contributions to the national question and internationalism, the alliance policy of the working class, the strategy and tactics of revolutionary movements, and philosophical issues, defending Marxism both in theory and in fact. [7]

(2) Critique of Contemporary Capitalism

The analysis and critique of contemporary capitalism has always been a focus of the foreign left. Nancy Fraser provided a profound discourse on the characteristics of contemporary capitalism. She argues that capitalism is not just an economic system but an institutionalized social order. Capitalist society includes an "economy" distinguished from (and dependent on) a "polity" or political order; a realm of "economic production" distinguished from (and dependent on) a realm of "social reproduction"; a relationship of exploitation distinguished from (and dependent on) a background relationship of expropriation; and a socio-historical realm of human activity distinguished from (and dependent on) a non-historical, external material base of nature. There are three crisis tendencies in current capitalism: a structural crisis tendency of social reproduction, an inherent tendency toward ecological crisis, and a political crisis tendency. [8]

The outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the foreign left to launch critiques of the capitalist system from different perspectives. David Matthews critiqued the healthcare system under neoliberalism, arguing that neoliberalism is a hegemonic force and a "political-ideological project" of the ruling class. The health systems of Spain, Greece, and the UK underwent neoliberal restructuring characterized by reduced public funding, a retreat from universalism, increased co-payments, and privatization; healthcare has increasingly been redefined as a commodity. Healthcare system reforms under neoliberal policies benefit capital rather than the broad masses. [9] Foster argued that the COVID-19 crisis was not the result of an unpredictable "black swan" event, but rather belongs to a complex of a series of crisis tendencies. Financial monopoly capitalism is the primary vector for the transmission of the disease. The logic of contemporary historical development shows that humanity needs a more public system of social metabolic reproduction that promotes the free development of every individual while protecting nature. [10] Professor Meredith Turshen of Rutgers University and Anne Thébaud-Mony, Director of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, co-authored an article reviewing public health endeavors in Western countries, arguing that health should have been a basic human right, yet Western governments’ public health policies reduced health services to commodities and objects of speculative investment, leading to the current COVID-19 crisis. [11] Ian Ferguson argued that the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, its mode of transmission, and the extent of death and destruction it caused globally were shaped by the following factors: global capitalism’s infinite pursuit of profit, Western governments’ reactions (or lack thereof) to the disease, and existing divisions and inequalities. [12]

(3) Critique of Racial Capitalism

In recent years, with the resurgence of Western right-wing populism, racial capitalism has become one of the conceptual frameworks for understanding capitalist exploitation and a hot topic for discussion and research among Western leftist scholars. In May 2020, George Floyd, an African-American man, died of asphyxiation after police enforcement, leading to protests and riots in more than 150 cities in the United States and even sparking protests in 67 countries worldwide. Against this backdrop, Monthly Review launched a special issue on racial capitalism, returning to the Marxist historical materialist conception of history to re-examine the history and development of capitalism. Foster argued that this large-scale protest movement reflected the disintegration of the capitalist social structure at a deeper level. [13] Shettey, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies and Political Science at Carleton College, argued that the development, organization, and expansion of capitalist society, as well as social ideology and political practice, are inherently racially oriented. He theorizes racial capitalism in the modern United States as a racially stratified political economy consisting of war and militarism, imperialist accumulation, ruling expropriation, and the over-exploitation of labor. The solution to racial capitalism is anti-racist socialism. [14] Lilia Monzó, Associate Professor at Chapman University, argued that capitalism is a global racialized structure, and the COVID-19 virus sweeping the globe has highlighted the racialization of capitalism. Due to a lack of health insurance, the morbidity rate for Black people is disproportionately high, and they are more susceptible to infection by the coronavirus. All of this stems from the oppressive system of capitalism. [15]

(4) Research and Discussion on the Question of Socialism

The question of socialism has always been a hot topic in Western leftist theoretical circles and continues to trigger extensive discussion. The famous American leftist scholar Nancy Fraser argues that 21st-century socialism must not only transform the sphere of production but must also transform the relationship between production and the "background conditions" that make it possible—social reproduction, state power, external nature, and forms of wealth. These conditions exist outside the self-circulation of capital, yet within capital's reach. [8]

Intan Suwandi, a member of the editorial board of Monthly Review, argues that in the face of the relative decline of U.S. output within the global economy, the American "labor aristocracy" [16] that emerged after World War II has clearly decayed. Simultaneously, the broader working class faces an economic landscape defined by stagnation, financialization, and neoliberalism. Subjected to increasing exploitation, expropriation, and a comprehensive deterioration of their conditions, their expectations have lowered. The historical class context generated by these epochal shifts in material relations has led the global Left to witness a resurgence of the socialist movement in the United States.

(5) Research on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and its World Significance

As the world’s largest socialist country, China continuously consolidates, develops, and improves the socialist system, allowing the superiority of socialism to be fully demonstrated and attracting global attention. Regarding Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and its relationship with world socialism, several foreign leftist figures have expressed their views. Gyula Thürmer, President of the Hungarian Workers' Party, believes that Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is a broad synthesis formed on the basis of systematic reflection on theory, ideology, politics, economy, society, and foreign relations. He views it as an outstanding theoretical achievement of the 21st century with great world significance. It serves the interests of the broad laboring masses and the people, meets the needs of maintaining social fairness, freedom, and a better life, and stands as the most valuable theoretical concept and practical guide for responding to these challenges. Furthermore, it is the key to constructing a comprehensive strategy, understanding the necessity of multi-faceted innovation, and ensuring its realization, inspiring people of all countries to struggle for the existence of independent sovereign states.

Raif Dizdarević, former President of the Presidency of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, argues that for socialism to achieve a revival, it must break the shackles of old concepts and habitual thinking and constantly innovate. China has set an example in this regard. Reform has fundamentally changed people's old concepts and habitual thinking, which is the key to China's "development miracle." China has set a model for the world and provided reference answers for solving new problems of socialism both now and in the future.

Andrea Catone, editor-in-chief of the Italian journal MarxVentuno (21st Century Marx), highly praised the institutional advantages of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. He believes that Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and the Communist Party of China (CPC) demonstrated a powerful capacity to control and quarantine the epidemic. Under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people were able to comply with the instructions of the Chinese government in a fully active, disciplined, and conscious manner. Without the very strong bond between the leaders and the people, and between the CPC and the masses, the virus could not have been contained.

III. New Progress in Research on the Current State of Development and Major Practical Activities of the Foreign Left

(1) Research on the Left in North America and Europe

Following the financial crisis, leftist thought in the United States has exhibited several new characteristics. Some scholars argue that the different perspectives emerging within American leftist thought are both overlapping and merging, with some major trends attempting to transition from theoretical demands to action programs. Furthermore, there are signs of a revival of socialist thought in the United States. Some scholars have written analyses of the problems currently facing the American Left, arguing that the diversification of the discourse system, the networking of mobilization methods, and the fragmentation of electoral power have collectively led to internal divisions within the American Left, resulting in its limited influence.

Some scholars have introduced the explorations of communism by French leftist scholars since the 21st century, pointing out that the French leftist academic community has interpreted communism from multiple perspectives, innovated research paths, and formed several enlightening viewpoints for the revival of communist ideas in Western society. However, on the fundamental question of how to realize communism—particularly regarding propositions such as the transition stage, the withering away of the state, and the leading role of the political party—serious disagreements persist. This has also become a point of difficulty for the current French Left in promoting the revival of communism. Other scholars have introduced critical research by the French Left on neoliberalism, arguing that although both the theoretical conceptualizations of French leftist scholars and the concrete practical schemes of political forces have explored how to transcend neoliberalism, most remain at a metaphysical theoretical level. In concrete practice, they have not moved beyond the framework of existing capitalist society.

Regarding the phenomenon of "left-wing populism" appearing in Southern Europe today, some scholars have translated and introduced the research of Jacques Bidet, pointing out that emerging left-wing populism regards itself as an anti-capitalist force and replaces the traditional concept of social class with "the people" [17]. This school of thought believes that most social democratic and socialist parties have been swallowed by right-wing parties. Therefore, for the populace, the strategy of "uniting the Left against the Right" is no longer viable; one can only "unite the people against the oligarchy."

In January 2020, Spain formed its first coalition government of the Left since the implementation of its democratic system. Judging by various measures and action plans since taking office, the new Spanish government focuses more on livelihood issues such as social equity and social security, pays more attention to the survival and development of the grassroots classes, and continuously consolidates its mass base. From the perspective of the development of the world socialist movement, the coalition government formed by the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and Podemos helps the world socialist movement in Spain transition from decline to prosperity.

Other scholars have studied the Workers' Party of Belgium (PTB/PVDA), which has risen in recent years. They argue that under the guidance of a strategy combining "principles" with "flexibility," the Workers' Party of Belgium has formulated a series of action strategies that both highlight the party's political stance and identity and are rigorous, pragmatic, flexible, and diverse. This has made it the force with the greatest growth potential amid the general developmental difficulties faced by Western communist parties.

(2) Research on the Left in Russia, the Middle East, and Africa

Some scholars have pointed out current problems in the Russian leftist movement, noting that since the 21st century, Russian leftist parties have continuously fragmented due to ideological and theoretical differences, divergent lines of struggle, and numerous internal and external challenges. This has formed a current decentralized pattern of "one large and many small" [18], which has also resulted in a reduced scale of the Russian leftist movement, intensified contradictions, tactical adjustments, a shift in focus, weakened social attention, and declining political influence.

Some scholars have summarized the main characteristics of the exchanges and cooperation among Middle Eastern leftist parties. They argue that class and social attributes dictate that Middle Eastern leftist parties must carry out party-to-party diplomacy, and they also determine that regional exchanges and cooperation are primarily centered on progressive causes and party development. Although influenced by the Middle East policies of Western countries and internal differences among Middle Eastern leftist forces, as well as the dual nature of cooperation and conflict between these parties, such exchanges and cooperation carry significant symbolic and practical meaning.

In the developmental process of populist parties in the world today, left-wing populist parties have begun to rise in transitional societies. In South Africa, due to the synergy of voter demand and populist supply, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) rose strongly "in the name of justice," becoming the third-largest party after the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA). This triggered the "populization" of mainstream parties and intensified political polarization in South Africa.

(3) Research on the Left in Asia

In 2020, domestic scholars conducted research on the current status of the development of the Left in Asia. Some scholars explored the new trends of the socialist movement in Sri Lanka in the 21st century, arguing that there are three ways in which the major leftist parties in Sri Lanka promote the socialist movement: primarily through parliamentary struggle, supplemented by "street politics" and "worker strikes." Sri Lankan leftist parties have also enriched the types of socialist movements, with forms of social movements such as the "People's Movement" and "Equal Rights Movement" appearing. These reflect the vocal demands of the Sri Lankan public to solve realistic social problems and demonstrate the courage and wisdom of leftist parties in competing for political discourse and public support.

By summarizing the new characteristics of capitalist development in South Korea in the 21st century, some scholars pointed out that as the drawbacks of neoliberalism are continuously exposed, the South Korean leftist movement has begun to adjust its struggle strategy. This has led leftist thought to present a new pattern in the process of integrating with real-world movements. Trotskyism, liquidationism [19], the New Left, and Universal Basic Income theory have gradually become important schools within this new pattern. The South Korean leftist social movement has begun to show a trend of deepening and unification, and the innovative study and development of Marxism has become a core task for leftist social workers and theorists.

Other scholars have written on the contemporary Naxalite movement in India, pointing out that the Naxalite revolutionary forces, reorganized in the 1990s, have formed a "Red Corridor" in central and eastern India, changing the political and social ecosystem of remote rural areas. The Naxalite movement is an experiment of Maoist revolution in India, hoping to establish a brand-new social order through organized revolution and violent struggle.

(4) Research on the Left in Latin America

New changes occurred in the Latin American Left in 2020. On October 18, Bolivia held its presidential election. On the 23rd, Bolivia’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal announced that Luis Arce, the candidate for the leftist party "Movement for Socialism" (MAS), won the election with an absolute advantage. Some scholars analyzed the direction of Bolivia's political situation after the election and the future challenges for the new government, arguing that the newly elected ruling party still faces challenges in many fields such as the economy, society, and public health. Whether the country can maintain stability is the prerequisite for dealing with the aforementioned risks and challenges.

Other scholars have analyzed the developmental trends of the Latin American Left in 2020, pointing out that under the combined effect of the global economic recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic and social situation in Latin America deteriorated in 2020, with poverty and unemployment rates rising. Continuous U.S. sanctions and pressure have meant that the overall development of the Latin American Left is not ideal. Furthermore, there are ideological differences among Latin American leftist parties, and contradictions between and within parties are prominent, making it even more difficult to form an effective synergy to counter U.S. interference and pressure from regional right-wing forces.

As we enter the third decade of the 21st century, neoliberalism has once again sparked widespread concern and controversy in Latin America. After 2019, anti-neoliberal protest movements continued to spread across the region. Latin American leftist governments, parties, leaders, and intellectuals actively sought countermeasures against the growth of right-wing forces and the resurgence of neoliberalism. While launching continuous counterattacks and critiques of neoliberalism, they continued to explore alternative national and social development plans.

IV. Some Reflections on the Study of the Foreign Left

Viewed as a whole, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 had a profound impact on the global situation. During this pandemic, the foreign Left launched an unprecedented total reflection on and critique of capitalism, further deepening their understanding of the essence of capitalism and further strengthening their enthusiasm for and belief in the cause of socialism. According to their analysis, capitalism under the context of the pandemic faces a triple crisis: the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recession, and ecological crisis. The root cause of these crises lies in the infinite pursuit of profit by capital under the capitalist mode of production. While criticizing capitalism, foreign leftist scholars such as Slavoj Žižek issued a call that "it is time for fundamental change." In their view, the moment for socialism has arrived!

However, some foreign leftist scholars believe that the prerequisite for the realization of a socialist revolution is revolutionary consciousness. At present, the working class, as the revolutionary subject, still lacks revolutionary consciousness. Therefore, they suggest that the primary task of the revolution is to establish independently organized trade unions and to educate workers on labor law, civil rights law, unemployment compensation regulations, and any other aspects that may be of value to workers. Additionally, they suggest that workers should actively participate in political activities.

The research and analysis of foreign leftist scholars have quite fully revealed the contradictions of capitalism, making people more clearly aware of how the logic of capital overrides life itself. Only by breaking the dominance of the logic of capital, uniting all leftist forces including socialism, and jointly resisting neoliberalism can thorough liberation and freedom be achieved. Overall, the foreign Left has begun to gradually extricate itself from the "crisis of critique" that it fell into since the 1990s. Through the major issue of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has returned to the agenda of liberation and back to real-world social movements. Examples include the "Yellow Vest movement" in France over the past two years and the 2020...

Left-wing voices were not lacking in the 2020 "Black Lives Matter" movement in the United States. It is undeniable that the maladies and dilemmas of capitalism provided a favorable opportunity for a left-wing revival. However, to seize this opportunity, the Left must adjust its theories and struggle strategies in response to the current state of capitalism, and strengthen its influence over social and labor movements to facilitate their transformation into socialist movements. [20]

As far as domestic research on foreign left-wing thought is concerned, further deepening and expansion are required. The research conducted by domestic scholars on foreign left-wing thought and movements remains imbalanced; certain important left-wing parties, movements, and trends of thought have not received timely or in-depth attention. For instance, following the period of the drastic changes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe [21], African socialism underwent a comprehensive decline. However, according to research by scholars from the University of Sussex and the University of Texas, African protest incidents rose sharply between 2010 and 2011 and have remained at very high levels in many African cities. In recent years, movements resisting capitalism have emerged in Africa, attracting close attention and research from foreign left-wing scholars. Yet, domestic research has not accorded these foreign scholars the attention they deserve, resulting in a dearth of introductory or in-depth studies in this area. Furthermore, most current domestic research on the foreign Left remains at the level of "tracking-style" introductions [22]. There is a significant deficiency in terms of extended and profound reflection. There is an urgent need to strengthen the intensity of research and the judgment of future trends while objectively categorizing foreign left-wing thought and movements.

Notes

  1. John Bellamy Foster, “Engels’s Dialectics of Nature in the Anthropocene,” Monthly Review, Volume 72, Issue 06, 2020.
  2. Paul Blackledge, “Engels vs. Marx?: Two Hundred Years of Frederick Engels,” Monthly Review, Volume 72, Issue 01, 2020.
  3. Wolfgang Streeck, “Engels’s Second Theory—Technology, Warfare and the Growth of the State,” New Left Review, Volume 123, 2020.
  4. Katia Hancke, “Friedrich Engels: A Revolutionary Thinker for a World in Turmoil,” https://www.socialistalternative.org/2020/11/28/friedrichengels-a-revolutionary-thinker-for-a-world-in-turmoil/. [2020-11-28]
  5. Liu Shuchun: "Lenin’s Illustrious Name Lives Forever in History: The CPFR commemorates the 150th Anniversary of Lenin’s Birth," World Socialism Studies, 2020, No. 4.
  6. “Declaración del Comité Central del PCM—En ocasión del 150 aniversario de Vladimir Ilich Lenin,” https://www.solidnet.org/article/CP-of-MexicoViva-Vladimir-Ilich-Lenin/. [2021-01-23]
  7. “Declaration of the Central Committee of the Party of Labour of Austria,” https://www.solidnet.org/article/Party-of-Labour-of-Austria-On-the-150thbirthday-of-Lenin/. [2021-01-20]
  8. Nancy Fraser, “What Should Socialism Mean in The Twenty-first Century?,” Socialist Register, 2020.
  9. David Matthews, “Health Care for Profit (Not Health)—A Sick System,” Monthly Review, Volume 71, Issue 11, 2020.
  10. John Bellamy Foster, Intan Suwandi, “COVID-19 and Catastrophe Capitalism: Commodity Chains and Ecological-Epidemiological-Economic Crises,” Monthly Review, Volume 72, Issue 02, 2020.
  11. Meredeth Turshen, Annie Thébaud-Mony, “The COVID-19 Pandemic Exposes Fatal Health Inequities,” Monthly Review, Volume 72, Issue 06, 2020.
  12. Iain Ferguson, “Capitalism, Coronavirus and Mental Distress,” http://isj.org.uk/coronavirusmental-distress/.
  13. The Editors, “Notes from the Editors,” Monthly Review, Volume 72, Issue 03, 2020.
  14. Charisse Burden-Stelly, “Modern U.S. Racial Capitalism—Some Theoretical Insights,” Monthly Review, Volume 72, Issue 03, 2020.
  15. Lilia D. Monzó, “Colonialism, Migration, Pandemic—The Immutable Evidence that Capitalism Is Racist and Misogynist,” Monthly Review, Volume 72, Issue 03, 2020.
  16. The Editors, “Notes from the editors,” Monthly Review, Volume 71, Issue 11, 2020.
  17. Yu Haiqing, Yang Xiaojun: "Eastern European Socialism and Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era in a Comparative Perspective: An Interview with Gyula Thürmer, Chairman of the Hungarian Workers’ Party," Marxist Studies, 2020, No. 6.
  18. Qiao Ruihua, Peng Yuchao: "China in the New Era Possesses a Pioneering Spirit of Forging Ahead: An Interview with Raif Dizdarević, Former President of the Presidency of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia," Marxist Studies, 2020, No. 8.
  19. Lei Xiaohuan: "The Foreign Left's Critique of Capitalism under the COVID-19 Pandemic," World Socialism Studies, 2020, No. 7.
  20. Pei Shaohua: "On the Characteristics and Development Trends of American Left-Wing Trends in the Post-Crisis Era," Mao Zedong Deng Xiaoping Theory Research, 2020, No. 7.
  21. Gao Jianming, Guo Jie: "The Current Situation, Problems, and Prospects of the American Left," Scientific Socialism, 2020, No. 1.
  22. Zhang Zhongsheng: "Exploration of Communism by French Left-Wing Scholars in the 21st Century," Marxist Studies, 2020, No. 8.
  23. Xia Yinping, Ni Jingjing: "Another World is Possible: French Leftist Critical Research on Neoliberalism," Contemporary World and Socialism, 2020, No. 1.
  24. Jacques Bidet (Author), Gao Jingyu (Translator): "Marxism and Left Populism in Southern Europe Today," Foreign Theoretical Trends, 2020, No. 3.
  25. Zhang Min: "The Policy Direction of the New Left-Wing Coalition Government after the Spanish General Election: From the Perspective of the World Socialist Movement," World Socialism Studies, 2020, No. 2.
  26. Yu Haiqing: "The Sudden Rise of the Workers' Party of Belgium and Its Implications," Contemporary World and Socialism, 2020, No. 3.
  27. Xu Peng: "The Dispersed Pattern and Future Prospects of Contemporary Russian Left-Wing Political Parties," Journal of Social Science of Harbin Normal University, 2020, No. 2.
  28. Yi Xiaoming: "Regional Exchange and Cooperation of Current Middle Eastern Left-Wing Political Parties: Main Characteristics and Evaluation," Problems of Contemporary World Socialism, 2020, No. 2.
  29. Ma Zhengyi: "The Rise of Left-Wing Populist Parties in South Africa and Its Roots," Foreign Theoretical Trends, 2020, No. 5.
  30. Du Min: "New Trends of the Socialist Movement in Sri Lanka in the 21st Century," Marxist Studies, 2020, No. 7.
  31. Jiao Pei: "Frustration and Reorganization: A Study of South Korean Left-Wing Trends in the 21st Century," Foreign Theoretical Trends, 2020, No. 2.
  32. Wang Qingfeng: "The Naxalite Movement: Left-Wing Radicalism in India," Foreign Affairs Studies, 2020, No. 1.
  33. Han Han: "The Left Returns to the Bolivian Political Arena," World Affairs, 2020, No. 22.
  34. Xu Shicheng: "New Changes in Latin American Party Politics and Policy Adjustments of Left-Wing Parties," Contemporary World, 2020, No. 11.
  35. Yuan Dongzhen: "The Latin American Left Launches a New Critique of Neoliberalism," Chinese Social Sciences Today, August 27, 2020.
  36. Michael D. Yates, “COVID-19, Economic Depression, and the Black Lives Matter Protests: Will the Triple Crisis Bring a Working-Class Revolt in the United States?,” Monthly Review, Volume 72, Issue 04, 2020.
  37. Xing Wenzeng: "Social Inequality and the Opportunity for the Revival of the Western Left," Scientific Socialism, 2020, No. 4.

Fourth, the foreign left has conducted thorough theoretical contemplation regarding the development of the world socialist movement in the post-pandemic era. Scholars generally believe that the pandemic has brought about a "moment of truth" [23] for the global capitalist system, and they have proposed various paths for the future of socialism.

On one hand, scholars emphasize the necessity of strengthening international solidarity among the working class. Given the global nature of capital and the pandemic, any localized resistance is insufficient. They argue for the reconstruction of a "New International" [24] to coordinate the struggles of the global left against neoliberalism and rising "vaccine nationalism." On the other hand, there is a renewed focus on the role of the state in redistributing wealth and providing public goods. Many left-wing theorists suggest that the "state of exception" [25] triggered by the pandemic should not lead to authoritarianism, but rather to a "state of care" that prioritizes the reproduction of life over the accumulation of capital. Furthermore, Chinese-path modernization has provided a significant reference point for the global left. The success of the "Chinese model" in pandemic control and economic recovery has led many foreign scholars to re-evaluate the relationship between the leadership of a Marxist party and the efficiency of the national governance system. They note that the CPC's commitment to the mass line and the mobilization of productive forces for the public good demonstrates the institutional superiority of socialism. In the New Era, as China pursues high-quality development and progresses toward common prosperity, it offers a new choice for countries and nations that wish to accelerate their development while maintaining their independence.

In summary, the year 2020 was a turning point. Confronted with the manifold crises of capitalism exposed by the pandemic, the foreign left has moved beyond mere critique to explore concrete alternatives. Although the movement faces challenges such as internal fragmentation and the suppression of the radical right, the continuous development of Sinicized Marxism and the successful practice of Chinese-path modernization have injected new momentum into the global socialist cause. Moving forward, the left must uphold the fundamentals and break new ground, persisting over the long term to transform the current "crisis of survival" into an "opportunity for transition."

(Author’s Affiliation: Institute of Marxism Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) Online Editor: Zhang Jian Source: Scientific Socialism (Kexue Shehuizhuyi), Issue 1, 2021.