spontaneism

Revolutionary spontaneity, also known as spontaneism and, within leftist circles, sometimes sponty, is a tendency to believe that social revolution can and should occur spontaneously from below, without the aid or guidance of a vanguard party, and that it cannot and should not be brought about by the actions of individuals or parties who might attempt to foment such a revolution. In his work What is to be Done?, Vladimir Lenin argues fiercely against revolutionary spontaneity as a dangerous "revisionist" concept that strips away the disciplined nature of Marxist political thought and leaves it arbitrary and ineffective.

Most schools of anarchist political thought subscribe to some form of revolutionary spontaneity, evident in their anti-vanguardist positions.

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