[kmonsen]

I don't think Leninism, Bolsheviks or Communism are anything to do with what I understand leftism (or socialism) to be.

The former were all about a minority controlling the majority, while the latter is about the majority being in control (although that does not work out all that well always either).

Note that the it is almost impossible to discuss this due to overloaded terms like liberalism which means the opposite depending on who you ask. I define leftism like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-wing_politics