Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Militant Tendency

Militant Tendency

9.8
An organized group inside the British Labour Party that campaigned for socialism in the 1960s to 1980s
  • proper noun
translation icon : Tendencia Militante
  • Debates about the legacy of the Militant Tendency still occur among British political historians.

Examples

  • The Militant Tendency was influential in the Labour Party during the 1980s.

  • Many Labour Party members were expelled due to their association with the Militant Tendency.

  • The Militant Tendency campaigned for socialism through the Labour Party during the 1970s and 1980s.

  • Many members of the Militant Tendency supported radical reforms.

  • The Militant Tendency played a significant role in shaping the policies of the British Labour Party during the 1980s.

  • Many activists were inspired by the ideals of the Militant Tendency, advocating for a more radical approach to socialism.

  • The rise of the Militant Tendency in the Labour Party highlighted the internal struggles between different factions of socialism.

Surface Forms

Militant Tendency main

Morphology

militant + tendency

A learner who knows 'militant' (aggressively active for a cause) and 'tendency' (an inclination) can reasonably infer that the phrase refers to a leaning or grouping characterized by militancy, likely in a political sense. However, because this is a proper-name for a specific Trotskyist organization with historical and referential information beyond simple composition, the exact referent and connotations are not fully predictable from the constituents alone.

Etymology

Militant Tendency comes from two clear images: militant (people ready to fight hard for ideas) and tendency (a group or trend 'inside' a larger party). It was the name chosen by a group working 'inside' the Labour Party who pushed their ideas hard, so today Militant Tendency refers to that specific political group and its strong, active style.