The specifics of the left-wing political spectrum in post-Soviet Russia

The relevance of studying the left political spectrum in post-Soviet Russia is determined by its role in shaping the ideological field of the country, where there is a demand for social justice, but conservative-statist trends dominate. The post-Soviet period has been marked by a deep transformation of leftist ideas, their adaptation to new challenges, and the search for identity in the conditions of an ideological vacuum. The subject of the research is the left political spectrum of Russia, while the focus is on its specific features formed under the influence of the Soviet legacy, hybridization of ideologies, and the institutional constraints of the political system. The article analyzes key transformations of leftist movements since 1991, with special attention given to their adaptation to the political system, ideological syncretism, and mechanisms of marginalization of radical groups. These processes are viewed as part of intra-political conflicts, where the left spectrum balances between opposition and integration into the system. The study is based on a synthesis of comparative-historical analysis of the programs of political parties and organizations, an institutional approach to the study of the legal framework, and discourse analysis of media publications revealing ideological eclecticism. The methods allowed for the identification of the relationship between ideological transformations of the left spectrum and changes in the political system and socio-economic context. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the systematization of the specifics of the post-Soviet left spectrum through the prism of three key contradictions: between the Soviet legacy and capitalist reality, statism and emancipation, and global trends and regional specificity. It has been established that the left spectrum in Russia is not a successor to the Soviet model or a result of global leftist trends, but represents a hybrid phenomenon, where the ability of leftist organizations to adapt to the dominant political context becomes a matter of survival. The author’s contribution lies in demonstrating how ideologies transform under the pressures of historical, institutional, and cultural constraints, creating unique forms that cannot be reduced to universal schemas. The conclusions of the article may be used to forecast the development of leftist ideologies in the context of increasing state control and social polarization.

Left-wing political spectrum, political parties, political identity, political radicalism, political ideology, social democracy, socialism, communism, anarchism, anti-fascism