The true path forward for human liberation and ecological survival does not lie in authoritarian state socialism, nor in an unchecked libertarian individualism. It lies in building deeply democratic, cooperative, ecological communities—a vision best embodied in communalism, as advanced by Murray Bookchin. This is the most radical and genuinely progressive form of leftism, because it centers people, community, and the environment together.

The failures of Marxist-Leninism, Stalinism, and Maoism are historical facts. These authoritarian models crushed individual freedom, elevated bureaucratic elites, and often devastated local communities. They treated people as instruments for a supposedly greater future, while building centralized power structures that betrayed the very idea of socialism. Their environmental record is equally damning—extractivist, productivist, and heedless of ecological limits.

Why they fail:

• Elevate state over community.
• Replace capitalism’s bosses with party bosses.
• Treat ecosystems as raw material for industrial might.
• Build hierarchy, not solidarity.

On the other hand, some anarchist currents reduce everything to individual autonomy, ignoring how deeply we rely on each other and the natural world. A vision that lets everyone do “whatever they want” can fracture solidarity, fail to coordinate defense against oppressive forces, and overlook the necessity of collective stewardship of resources and ecosystems.

Why they fail:

• Risk fragmenting into isolated collectives without broader coordination.
• Can ignore structural obligations to support the vulnerable.
• Sometimes dismiss the need for durable, accountable institutions that can safeguard the commons.

Communalism—especially as articulated by Bookchin—seeks to transcend this false dichotomy. It champions direct democracy at the municipal level, where people govern themselves through popular assemblies, federated together to address wider needs. It is grounded in the love of people, community, and the living earth. It envisions a libertarian socialist society rooted not in isolated individual whims, nor in oppressive state planning, but in free and ecological cooperation.

People: Builds a society where everyone can flourish, participate directly, and shape the conditions of their lives.

Community: Ensures decisions are made collectively and transparently, fostering mutual care and shared responsibility.

Environment: Recognizes our inseparability from nature, embedding ecological principles into the heart of politics.

Communalism is the highest expression of leftism because it does not abandon structure—it rebuilds it on a foundation of popular self-management and ecological ethics. It does not abandon individual freedom—it secures it through communal institutions that guarantee participation, equality, and environmental sanity. This is not the “middle ground” of compromise, but the synthesis of our deepest needs: freedom, solidarity, and harmony with the earth.

We must reject both the cold authoritarianism of state socialists and the atomized individualism of ultra-libertarian anarchists. In their place, we should build loving, participatory, ecological communities that federate to shape a just world for all. This is the path of communalism—the most radical, humane, and necessary leftism of all.