After the collapse of the Soviet Union «another» left is now present in Europe, in an attempt to build a reformist maximalist pole, placed on the left of the socialist parties. This experiment lived his first experience in the second half of the twentieth century, when the Spanish Communist Party decided to try to overcome its borders, organizing a broader federation with more political ambitions. Izquierda unida (Iu) was born in 1986 and its story has shown alternate results, strongly influenced by the electoral trend of the Partido socialista obrero español. Despite this, Iu defends its autonomy, maintaining in time the possibility of structuring an alternative party that differs from the Spanish bipolar parties.
Keywords: Party politics, Left, European Radical Left, Spanish Left, Izquierda unida.