We know the heads of Marxism are usually Marx, Engels and Lenin, often plus Stalin and Mao.

three-heads-thinking stalin-cig mao-wave

But who would be the five heads of revolutionary liberalism (before it became a totally bankrupt, anti-emancipatory, status quo project)?

My suggestion: John Locke, Thomas Paine, Robespierre, Toussaint, & Simon Bolivar

Also considered: Oliver Cromwell and Garibaldi

  • PM_ME_YOUR_FOUCAULTS [he/him, they/them]
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    edit-2
    2 days ago

    Locke is important for understanding the ideological justifications that the liberals themselves used to underpin their political projects. That's about it. A material analysis will otherwise give a much better understanding of the historical conditions that created liberalism, which is really just the bourgeoisie trying, successfully, to wrestle power away from the aristocracy. Whatever they said about Locke or Rousseau was just in service of that in the end.