Cultural Marxism

“Cultural Marxism” is a term used typically by right-wing ideologues to attack an array of ideas and concepts they oppose, including multiculturalism, globalism, feminism and LGBTQ+ rights, among others. The term often functions as an antisemitic dog whistle or codeword. Promoters of the term typically invoke a conspiracy theory that falsely claims such progressive ideas originated with the so-called Frankfurt School, a leftist intellectual collective active in Germany between the two World Wars. Exploiting the fact that a number of the Frankfurt School intellectuals were Jewish, antisemitic versions of this conspiracy theory link the Frankfurt School, and thus “cultural Marxism” itself, to Jews, claiming that Jews seek to subvert and weaken Western (and Christian) society by imposing their left-wing and politically correct (or “woke”) views. Antisemites also use the term to reinforce their longstanding antisemitic trope that Communism is “Jewish.”

This database provides an overview of many of the terms and individuals used by or associated with movements and groups that subscribe to and/or promote extremist or hateful ideologies.