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{{Short description|Intent to transform or replace the fundamental principles of society}}{{hatnote group|{{distinguish|Extremism}}{{for multi|historical political use of the term “radical“|Radicalism (historical)|other uses|Radical (disambiguation)}}}}{{Use British English|date=January 2020}}{{party politics}}Radical politics denotes the intent to transform or replace the {{wt|en|fundamental}} principles of a society or political system, often through social change, structural change, revolution or radical reform.BOOK, Jonathan, Pugh, 2009, What is Radical Politics Today?, Palgrave Macmillan UK, 9780230236257, The process of adopting radical views is termed radicalisation.The word {{wt|en|radical}} derives from the Latin {{wikt-lang|la|radix}} (“root“) and Late Latin {{wikt-lang|la|rādÄ«cālis}} (“of or pertaining to the root, radical“). Historically, political use of the term referred exclusively to a form of progressive electoral reformism, known as Radicalism, that had developed in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. However, the denotation has changed since its 18th century coinage to comprehend the entire political spectrum, though retaining the connotation of “change at the root”.

History

The Oxford English Dictionary traces usage of ‘radical’ in a political context to 1783.{{oed|radical}} “That the omnipotence of the state is not lodged, by the constitution, with the people, but with the whole legislative body in parliament assembled, was a radical doctrine of this obnoxious ministry.” The Encyclopædia Britannica records the first political usage of ‘radical’ as ascribed to Charles James Fox, a British Whig Party parliamentarian who in 1797 proposed a ‘radical reform’ of the electoral system to provide universal manhood suffrage, thereby idiomatically establishing the term ‘Radicals’ as a label denoting supporters of the reformation of British Parliament.Throughout the 19th century, the concept of radical politics broadened into a variety of political notions and doctrines. Party politics in England began to favour moderate positions, marginalising other movements into more politically aggressive factions.{{cn|date=August 2022}} As open advocacy of republicanism was illegal in France following the Napoleonic Wars, Radicals emerged under similar reformist ideals as their British counterparts, though they later branched out to form the Radical-Socialist movement with a focus on proletarian solidarity.JOURNAL, J. E. S., Hayward, The Official Philosophy of the French Third Republic: Leon Bourgeois and Solidarism, International Review of Social History, With the rise of Marxism, the notion of radical politics shifted away from reformism and became more associated with revolutionary politics. In United States politics, the term is used pejoratively among conservatives and moderates to denote political extremism,ENCYCLOPEDIA, Radical (ideologist), January 10, 2020, Encyclopædia Britannica,www.britannica.com/topic/radical-ideologist, BOOK, Mike, Sanders, 2001, General Introduction,books.google.com/books?id=9W4ucbBfkoQC&q=%22radicalism+is%22&pg=PR18, Women and Radicalism in the Nineteenth Century, 0-415-20526-3, xix, 18 September 2020, Conservatives frequently deployed ‘radical’ as a blanket term of abuse, with the 19th-century Cyclopaedia of Political Science describing it as “characterized less by its principles than by the manner of their application”.ENCYCLOPEDIA, Maurice, Block, Maurice Block, Radicalism, Cyclopaedia of Political Science, Political Economy, and of the Political History of the United States, 1893,books.google.com/books?id=l-J3vOPWd50C&q=%22radicalism+is%22&pg=PA492, 492, During the 20th century, radical politicians took power in many countries across the world. Such radical leaders included Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin in Russia, Mao Zedong in China, Adolf Hitler in Germany, as well as more mainstream radicals such as Ronald Reagan in the United States and Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom.BOOK, Clare, Short, The Forces Shaping Radical Politics Today, Jonathan, Pugh, 2009, What is Radical Politics Today?, 9780230236257, 59, Palgrave Macmillan UK, For example, Mrs Thatcher was radical, the British National Party is radical and Hitler was radical.,

Positions

Status quo change“>

Status quo change

The common feature to all radical political forms is a view that some fundamental change is required of the status quo. For an array of anti-capitalist forms, this manifests in anti-establishment reactions to modern neoliberal regimes.

Concept of ideology

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy describes the radical concept of ideology to be that:

• While social conditions exist “that are vulnerable to criticism and protest; ideology exists to protect these social conditions from attack by those who are disadvantaged by them.“ENCYCLOPEDIA, Christine, Sypnowich, Law and Ideology, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Summer 2019, Edward N., Zalta,plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2019/entries/law-ideology/, 2001-10-22,
• “Ideology conserves by camouflaging flawed social conditions, giving an illusory account of their rationale or function, in order to legitimate and win acceptance of them.”

This view reflects “a consensus among radicals of all stripes on the role of law as a {{wt|en|dissembling}} force to safeguard the unjust relations of the status quo.” This radical critique of ideology is especially prominent within post-leftism.WEB,theanarchistlibrary.org/library/jason-mcquinn-post-left-anarchy-leaving-the-left-behind, Jason, McQuinn, Jason McQuinn, 2004, Post-Left Anarchy: Leaving the Left Behind, In addressing specific issues, some radical politics may completely forgo any overarching ideological plan.

Difference from extremism

Astrid Bötticher identifies several differences between radicalism and extremism, among them in goals (idealistic vs. restorative, emancipatory vs. anti-democratic), morals (particular vs. universal), approach towards diversity (acceptance vs. disdain), and use of violence (pragmatic and selective vs. legitimate and acceptable).

See also

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• Anarchism
• Communism
• Populism
• Radical centrism
• Radical feminism
• Radical left (disambiguation)
• Radical right (disambiguation)
• Reactionary
• Revolutionary
• Rules for Radicals

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References

{{Reflist|refs=

• JOURNAL, Bötticher, Astrid, 2017, Towards Academic Consensus Definitions of Radicalism and Extremism,www.jstor.org/stable/26297896, Perspectives on Terrorism, 11, 4, 73–77, 26297896, 2334-3745,

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• BOOK, Gilbert, Abcarian, 1971, American Political Radicalism: Contemporary Issues and Orientations,
• BOOK, Edward, Walter, 1992, The Rise and Fall of Leftist Radicalism in America, Bloomsbury Academic, 0-275-94276-7,
• BOOK, Luke, March, Radical Left Parties in Europe,books.google.com/books?id=xF3FBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA1724, 2012, Routledge, 978-1-136-57897-7,

External links

• The M and S Collection at the Library of Congress contains materials on radical movements.

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