I've noticed how much leftism is refered to the old communist regimes.
Well, there's a twist in the argument.

It has all to do with the way the hemicycle of a parliament is composed, as seen from the Parliament's president. (This is what the french sometimes call the "Camembert" (same shape as the cheese)

Those to his left are the most progressive or liberal.
Those to his right are the most conservative.

This only works in democracies !

This only works in countries where the left is DIFFERENT from the right.

In the former Soviet Union, in Cuba, North Korea, China, in the Arab or most African countries; anywhere where democracy is non existant, there is no distinction between both sides. So, communists from the old communist regimes could not be called leftist because there was no other opinion, no other side, no opposition.

In short, leftism is a democratic prerogative and doesn't belong to a tyrannical kind of governement.

Raoul