The Left Green Network (LGN) was an

ecosocialist Eco-socialism (also known as green socialism, socialist ecology, ecological materialism, or revolutionary ecology) is an ideology merging aspects of socialism with that of green politics, ecology and alter-globalization or anti-globalization. E ...

organization created by

Murray Bookchin Murray Bookchin (; January 14, 1921 – July 30, 2006) was an American social theorist, author, orator, historian, and political philosopher. Influenced by G. W. F. Hegel, Karl Marx, and Peter Kropotkin, he was a pioneer in the environmental ...

and

Howie Hawkins Howard Gresham Hawkins III (born December 8, 1952) is an American trade unionist and environmental activist. Co-founder of the Green Party of the United States, Hawkins was the party's presidential nominee in the 2020 presidential election. Hi ...

History

In 1984, members of the

Institute for Social Ecology The Institute for Social Ecology (ISE) is an educational institution in Plainfield, Vermont dedicated to the study of social ecology, "an interdisciplinary field drawing on philosophy, political and social theory, anthropology, history, economics ...

, which Bookchin directed, participated in the "Founding Conference of a National Green Politics Organization", which was a precursor to the Green Party of the United States, in order to oppose the top-down creation of a national party. The anti-party attendees won, and the proto-Greens instead created many local Green Committees of Correspondence (GCoC). In 1987, Bookchin spoke at the National Green Gathering, where he denounced

Earth First! Earth First! is a radical environmentalism, radical Environmental movement, environmental advocacy group that originated in the Southwestern United States. It was founded in 1980 by Dave Foreman, Mike Roselle, Howie Wolke, Bart Koehler, and Ron K ...

and

Dave Foreman William David Foreman (October 18, 1946 – September 19, 2022) was an American advocate for the conservation of wild lands and wildlife. He was a co-founder of three organizations: Earth First!, the Wildlands Project, and the Rewilding Institu ...

as social reactionaries for opposing aid to starving people. In 1988, Bookchin and Hawkins founded LGN as a radical alternative to liberalism in the US Green movement, based around the principles of

social ecology Social ecology may refer to: * Social ecology (academic field), the study of relationships between people and their environment, often the interdependence of people, collectives and institutions * Social ecological model, frameworks for depicting ...

and

libertarian municipalism Libertarian municipalism is a political theory that developed out of the writings of American social theorist and philosopher Murray Bookchin. It advocates for establishing direct democratic systems within municipalities, such as towns and cit ...

. About 50 people attended the founding conference. LGN worked within the GCoC to advance social ecologist views, to demand a stronger

anti-capitalist Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and Political movement, movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose capitalism. Anti-capitalists seek to combat the worst effects of capitalism and to eventually replace capitalism ...

stance, and to oppose realo politics. In their founding documents, LGN explicitly rejected the "left wing of the possible" framing coined by

Michael Harrington Edward Michael Harrington Jr. (February 24, 1928 – July 31, 1989) was an American democratic socialist. As a writer, he was best known as the author of '' The Other America'' (1962). Harrington was also a political activist, theorist, profess ...

of the

Democratic Socialists of America The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a political organization in the United States and the country's largest Socialism, socialist organization. Sitting on the Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left of the politic ...

. In 1991, GCoC members who supported

electoral politics An electoral or voting system is a set of rules used to determine the results of an election. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political elections may take place in business, nonprofit organizations and inf ...

created the Green Party Organizing Committee (GPOC). At the fourth GCoC conference, the LGN crashed GPOC meetings and won control of the organization. As a result, the GCoC was restructured into the

Greens/Green Party USA The Greens/Green Party USA (G/GPUSA) was a political organization formed out of the Green Committees of Correspondence in 1991 and was recognized as a national political party by the FEC from 1991 to 2005. It was based in Chicago. '' Synthesis/ ...

(G/GPUSA), which focused more on direct membership and direct action than on electoral work. The formation of the G/GPUSA split the Green movement. As a result, the GPOC dissolved and became the Green Politics Network, which would eventually create the election-focused

Association of State Green Parties Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

(ASGP) in 1996 after Ralph Nader's presidential campaign. From 1996 to 1999, the ASGP and G/GPUSA competed over Green candidates and dues-payers. In 2000 and 2001, ASGP leader

Mike Feinstein Mike Feinstein is an American politician and a member of the Green Party (United States), Green Party. Feinstein has been involved in political activism since 1988, after he attended a conference at the Findhorn Foundation, Findhorn community ...

and G/GPUSA leader

attempted to merge their organizations. However, at the 2001 G/GPUSA convention, this proposal won majority support, but not the necessary 2/3 majority. The G/GPUSA analogized this split to the fundi–realo split in the German Greens, with G/GPUSA as fundis and GPUS as realos. In the long run, the ASGP was more successful: In 2001, the ASGP became the modern

Green Party of the United States The Green Party of the United States (GPUS) is a federation of Green state political parties in the United States. The party promotes green politics, specifically environmentalism; nonviolence; social justice; participatory democracy; anti-war; ...

(GPUS), while the G/GPUSA would shrink until it dissolved in 2019. In the 1990s, as enthusiasm for

socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

faded, the LGN also faded away until it became defunct in 1993.

Impact

Due to its power in the G/GPUSA, LGN played a large role in shaping the Green movement's political positions, especially its focus on ecological

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

rather than a narrow

environmentalism Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement about supporting life, habitats, and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of green ideology and politics, ecolog ...

. In 2020, former LGN member

ran on the GPUS ticket for president of the US.

References

{{reflist 1988 establishments in the United States 1993 disestablishments in the United States Defunct political parties in the United States Green Party of the United States Green Party of the United States organizations Green politics Howie Hawkins Libertarian socialist parties Political organizations based in the United States

History

Impact

See also

References