The Polish Socialist Party – Left (, PPS–L), also known as the Young Faction (), was one of two factions formed when the

Polish Socialist Party The Polish Socialist Party (, PPS) is a democratic socialist political party in Poland. It was one of the most significant parties in Poland from its founding in 1892 until its forced merger with the communist Polish Workers' Party to form ...

split at its ninth congress in 1906. The faction's primary objective was to transform

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

into a

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

state through

proletarian revolution A proletarian revolution or proletariat revolution is a social revolution in which the working class attempts to overthrow the bourgeoisie and change the previous political system. Proletarian revolutions are generally advocated by socialist ...

, with the likely aim of integrating into a Soviet-aligned international communist bloc (a position widely opposed by the

Revolutionary Faction A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

and viewed by many as a betrayal of Polish independence). Its main opposition within the PPS was the

(also known as the Old Faction – ''Starzy''), which sought to restore an independent Poland envisioned as a representative democracy. PPS–L for a time gathered most of the former PPS members, but with the failure of the

Russian Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905, also known as the First Russian Revolution, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, t ...

and corresponding

revolution in the Kingdom of Poland (1905–1907) A major part of the Russian Revolution (1905), Russian Revolution of 1905 took place in the Russian Partition of Poland and lasted until 1907 (see Congress Poland and Privislinsky Krai). It was the largest wave of strikes and widest emancipatory ...

, it has lost popularity. In 1909 PPS–FR renamed itself back to ''Polska Partia Socjalistyczna'' (Polish Socialist Party). Over time the party became more

. The increasingly marginal PPS–L – opposing the First World War and supporting the

Russian Revolution of 1917 The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

– eventually merged with

Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania The Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (, SDKPiL), originally the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland (SDKP), was a Marxist political party founded in 1893 and later served as an autonomous section of the Russian Social ...

on 16 December 1918 to form the

Communist Party of Poland The interwar Communist Party of Poland (, KPP) was a communist party active in Poland during the Second Polish Republic. It resulted from a December 1918 merger of the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (SDKPiL) and the ...

. One member of Lewica was elected to the

Central Executive Committee of Ukraine Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

at the Second All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets in Katerynoslav (

Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

) on 19 March 1918. Prominent activists of the PPS–L were: Maria Koszutska,

Feliks Kon Feliks Yakovlevich Kon (18 May 1864 – 30 July 1941) was a Polish communist activist, politician, ethnographer, publicist and journalist. He was the editor-in-chief of the Soviet satirical magazine, ''Krokodil''. Life and career Born in ...

, Stefan Królikowski, Paweł Lewinson, Henryk Walecki and Tadeusz Rechniewski. PPS–L was recreated in 1926 by PPS activists who opposed PPS involvement with

Józef Piłsudski Józef Klemens Piłsudski (; 5 December 1867 – 12 May 1935) was a Polish statesman who served as the Chief of State (Poland), Chief of State (1918–1922) and first Marshal of Poland (from 1920). In the aftermath of World War I, he beca ...

(particularly in the aftermath of his May Coup). It was delegalized in 1931.

References

1906 establishments in the Russian Empire 1918 disestablishments in Poland 1926 establishments in Poland 1931 disestablishments in Poland Defunct socialist parties in Poland Political parties disestablished in 1918 Political parties disestablished in 1931 Political parties established in 1906 Political parties established in 1926 Polish revolutionary organisations Polish Socialist Party Political parties of the Russian Revolution {{Ukraine-party-stub

See also

References