text: why the communist party of india called leftist?   there is a lot of confusion over what is left and right.  i prefer to compare parties based on if they are authoritarian or freedom-loving.  communists are among the most authoritarian, as are socialists and fascists, and many of the parties based on enforcing dogma.  typically, the left has been composed of those groups that want to redistribute income, and to do this one must be authoritarian, such as the communists, so it is not surprising that they are called leftist.    i much prefer to see freedom and liberty.  communists have oppressed too many people in the history of the world, and it is time to move away from their wishful, utopian ideologies, once and for all.