Left communism is the “left deviation” of [[Orthodox Marxism]]. Left communists are usually critical of Russian communism and formed in opposition to it.
Left communism refers to the “left” of the Marxist center, e.g. the [[Comintern]]. Historically, left communists were very critical of the [[Soviet Union]] and historical [[Marxism-Leninism]].
There are two main strains of left communism: the strain that came out of Dutch communism ([[council communism]]), and the strain that came out of Italian Communism (see [[Bordiga]]).
The main differences between left communism and, say, [[Orthodox Marxism]], [[Marxism-Leninism]], or [[social democracy]], include:
Left communists are generally “Leninist” but not Marxist-Leninist.
The term “left communism” came from [[Lenin]]’s pamphlet, “[[Left-Wing Communism: An Infintile Disorder]]”. Similarly, sometimes left communists are referred to as “[[ultra-leftists]]”.