THE EVOLUTION OF THE LEFT RADICAL PARTIES AND MOVEMENTS IN WESTERN EUROPE AND RUSSIA

A round table on the evolution of the Western European radical left parties and movements was held online on November 19, 2020. The participants of the round table presented reports and discussed such key cases of the radical left parties as Podemos, the Unconquered France and SYRIZA. In addition, they discussed what impact the Latin American experience had on the radical left in Western Europe. In the early 21st century, radial left parties and movements in Western Europe experienced an upsurge, which was largely triggered by the 2008 financial crisis. The rise of the several radial left parties was also fueled by the mass protests that continued in Europe throughout 2010. Currently, the radical left party Podemos in Spain has lost some of its supporters and faced the need to either sacrifice its principled position or be replaced by other parties. The Unconquered France also lost a significant number of votes in the 2017 elections. Finally, the most successful of the European radical left parties - SYRIZA in Greece - also lost parliamentary elections in 2019 and was forced to become the main opposition party. The roundtable participants agreed that with the rise to power, left radicals are forced to significantly change their political discourse, deradicalize and adapt to the existing rules of the game. Radical left movements in Latin America have had an undeniable impact on the Western European left. The speakers also noted that the development of the radical left ideas in Russia differs significantly from those in Western Europe. Today, the Russian radical left has no significant influence on the political arena. This article summarizes the main aspects of the academic presentations and the discussions that accompanied them.