Vanguardism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A political ideology or movement emphasizing the leadership of an intellectual or revolutionary elite to guide society toward radical transformation
2. An avant-garde approach to social change that positions a select group of enlightened leaders as necessary guides for revolutionary progress
3. A doctrine asserting that a disciplined vanguard of intellectuals or revolutionaries must direct mass movements to achieve fundamental societal restructuring

Etymology: "Vanguardism" is a plain formation: the noun "vanguard" with the suffix "-ism," which comes from Greek "-ismos" through Latin and French into English. The suffix turns a noun into a doctrine or system of belief, so a "vanguardism" is the principle or practice of putting a small, elite group at the front of a revolution, leading the masses rather than waiting for them to rise on their own. The base word has a more literal history. "Vanguard" descends from Old French "avantgarde," meaning "advance guard," the troops sent ahead of an army's main body. Its meaning moved from the military front line to any group leading a cause, and the political sense developed from that figurative use. Because the suffix is attached to the political sense, the resulting word inherits a sense of deliberate strategy rather than mere leadership.