Leninism in the Age of Populism

A Response to Armoise and Levi’s Conception of the Worker’s Party

By J. Ryder and P. K. Gandakin

Against critics who dismiss left-populism as a deviation from “true” workers’ party politics, J. Ryder and P. K. Gandakin argue that populism is an essential  strategy for building socialist power under modern conditions. Examining Mélenchon’s La France Insoumise through the lens of Leninist theory, they argue that the revolutionary party must learn from real political struggles rather than retreat into organizational purism. The choice facing the left is simple: build majoritarian populist movements—or remain politically marginal.