'Authoritarian left' is the name given to a political group who has left wing economic opinions and is in favour of strict obedience to authority (Authoritarian).

The term adds an extra dimension to the traditional left-right political line; that line inadequately groups Stalin, Pol Pot and Saddam Hussein together with Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi on the grounds that they are all publicly committed to a left wing, controlled economy dedicated to the needs of their people. The next chart splits the economic concepts from a goverment-authority concent. David Nolan first introduced the idea of a political chart with 'economic freedom' along the x Cartesian axis, and 'personal freedom' along the y-axis (Nolan chart).

Authoritarian Left People

Stalin

Pol Pot

Saddam Hussein

Yassir Arafat

Jacques Chirac

Pope John Paul II

Authoritarian Political Parties

British National Party (UK)

Other Political 'Quadrants'

Libertarian left

Libertarian right

Authoritarian right

External links

The Political Compass