The anti-elitism of radicalism? Polish radicalism towards its own and global political elite

Abstract

Radicalism takes on a position of protest against the power, postulates and solutions proposed by the current system of power, which also positions itself in opposition to the ruling political elite. It should be noted that radicalism of different doctrinal orientations ambiguously defines political elites, narrowing them down to a strict decision-making group, and at other times treating them broadly, introducing to its definition the leaders of almost every social group having any meaning and influence on what happens in this society and in global society. The left focuses on the negation of political, economic and cultural elites. It criticizes the existing system, including the elites supporting it and being its product. He indicates and evaluates the actions and goals of this group (elite). Focusing on the evaluation of current policies and searching for arguments against the system and those who create, support and use it for their own purposes. The radical left aims to overthrow the "old" elites. Groups of this type, speaking against the existence of elites, state themselves that they are the avant-garde of change and of the entire movement, which means paradoxically that they consider themselves to be the elite of the left-wing movement. The radical right wing similarly evaluates and denies the existing elites, however, in the general discourse in its media it points out the postulates of creating a new, "better" elite, which results from the political doctrine of the radical right wing. Both attitudes - both the negation of the elite and the delegitimization of the "foreign" elite with the postulate of its replacement with the "better" one - result from the doctrinal character of both the radical left (egalitarianism) and the right (hierachism).