Left–right political spectrum facts for kids
The left–right political spectrum is a way to sort different political ideas, beliefs, and groups. It helps us understand how people's views on things like social equality and social hierarchy compare. Besides the "left" and "right," there are also "centrist" or "moderate" views. These don't strongly lean to one side.
Often, left-wing politics and right-wing politics are seen as opposites. But someone might have a left-wing idea on one topic and a right-wing idea on another. Some ideas can even fit both sides! In France, where these terms started, the left was called "the party of movement" (or liberal). The right was called "the party of order" (or conservative). Today, some ways of mapping politics use one line for economic policy (left-right) and another line for social policy (like libertarian or authoritarian ideas).
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How the Left and Right Began
From the French Revolution
The words "left" and "right" first appeared during the French Revolution in 1789. Members of the National Assembly sat in different spots. Those who supported the old system sat to the president's right. Those who wanted change and supported the revolution sat to his left. One person at the time said: "We began to recognize each other: those who were loyal to religion and the king took up positions to the right."
As the Revolution continued, different groups kept this seating. People with "authoritarian" or "anti-democratic" views sat on the right. Those with "liberal" or "egalitarian" (equal rights for all) views sat on the left.
When a new assembly, the Legislative Assembly, formed in 1791, the seating continued. "Innovators" sat on the left. "Moderates" sat in the middle. Those who strongly defended the existing constitution sat on the right. Later, after some big changes in 1793, the right side of the assembly became empty. After 1794, the seating system was stopped for a while.
But after the king was restored in 1814–1815, political groups formed again. The main royalist group sat on the right. Those who supported the constitution sat in the middle. Independent members sat on the left. This is when terms like extreme right, extreme left, centre-right, and centre-left started being used. They helped describe the different shades of political ideas.
At first, "left" and "right" just meant where people sat in the legislature. They didn't describe political ideas themselves. After 1848, the main opposing groups were "democratic socialists" and "reactionaries." They used red and white flags to show their side. By 1871, with the Third Republic, political parties started using these terms. For example, there was the Republican Left and the Centre Right.
In the early 1900s, "left" and "right" began to describe actual political beliefs. They slowly replaced older terms like "reds" and "the reaction." At first, people used "Left" and "Right" as insults against their opponents. Those on the Left often called themselves "republicans" (meaning they favored a republic over a monarchy). Those on the Right often called themselves "conservatives".
By 1914, the Left side of the French legislature had socialists and radicals. The parties called "Right" sat on the right. The use of "Left" and "Right" then spread from France to other countries. It became a way to describe many political parties worldwide. The Right often said the left–right spectrum wasn't important. They saw it as fake and harmful to unity. But the Left, wanting to change society, promoted this difference. As a writer named Alain said in 1931: "When people ask me if the division between parties of the Right and parties of the Left... still makes sense, the first thing that comes to mind is that the person asking the question is certainly not a man of the Left." In British politics, these terms became common in the late 1930s.
The Scottish sociologist Robert M. MacIver wrote in 1947: "The right is always the party sector associated with the interests of the upper or dominant classes. The left is the sector expressing the lower economic or social classes. The centre is that of the middle classes. Historically this seems right. The conservative right has defended existing special rights and powers. The left has attacked them. The right has favored the aristocratic position, or the hierarchy of birth or wealth. The left has fought for equal opportunities for the less advantaged."
Different Political Ideas
Generally, the left wing focuses on ideas like freedom, equality, brotherhood, rights, progress, reform, and working together with other countries (internationalism). The right wing often focuses on ideas like authority, hierarchy (levels of power), order, duty, tradition, and nationalism (strong loyalty to one's own nation).
Political experts usually see the left as including social anarchists, communists, socialists, democratic socialists, social democrats, left-libertarians, progressives, and social liberals. Movements for racial equality and trade unionism (workers' rights) are also linked to the left.
Experts usually see the right as including conservatives (like traditionalist conservatism, libertarian conservatism, neoconservatism, and ultraconservatism); right-libertarians, anarcho-capitalists, monarchists, fascists, and reactionaries (people who want to go back to older ways).
Some important political movements don't fit neatly into the left–right spectrum. These include Christian democracy, feminism, and regionalism. While nationalism is often seen as right-wing, many nationalists also support equal sharing of resources. There are also civic nationalists and even left-wing nationalists. Populism can be both left-wing and right-wing. Green politics (focused on the environment) is often seen as left-wing, but there are also green conservatives. Some say green politics has a conservative side because it's careful about changing the world too much. So, it can be hard to put the green movement strictly on one side.
How Political Parties Fit In
The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL (39 members)
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (145 members)
Greens–European Free Alliance (71 members)
Renew Europe (103 members)
European People's Party Group (176 members)
European Conservatives and Reformists (64 members)
Identity and Democracy (65 members)
Non-Inscrits (42 members)
Political scientists create models to map the ideas of political parties along a left–right line. One expert, Klaus von Beyme, grouped European parties into nine families. He could arrange seven of them from left to right: communist, socialist, green, liberal, Christian democratic, conservative, and right-wing extremist.
Party ideas tend to stick around. The values a party had when it started often remain. But parties also change to be more practical, which can make them seem more similar.
The first modern political parties were liberals. They were formed by the middle class in the 1800s to protect themselves from the aristocracy. They were major parties then, but became less powerful in the 1900s. This happened as the working class started supporting socialist parties. Conservative parties formed to oppose liberals and defend aristocratic power.
Socialist parties were created to get political rights for workers. They were first allied with liberals. But they broke away when they wanted workers to control how things were made. Christian democratic parties were started by Catholics who saw liberalism as a threat to traditional values. They became a major force after World War II. Communist parties appeared after a split within socialism. This split was first over supporting World War I and then over supporting the Bolshevik Revolution.
Right-wing extremist parties are harder to define. They are simply more right-wing than other parties. They include fascists and some extreme conservative and nationalist groups. Green parties are the newest major group. They often reject socialism and are very liberal on social issues.
These party types can be found outside Europe too. In the United States, both major parties are generally considered liberal in a broad sense. But they still have left–right differences in their policies.
What These Terms Mean Today
Around the World
The left-right political spectrum can change over time. What is considered left or right can shift. For example, classical liberalism is now often seen as a right-wing idea in most countries. But when it first appeared, it was considered a left-wing idea.
In Western Europe
In Western Europe, the main difference between left and right is often about class. The left wants social justice through policies that share wealth and resources more equally. The right defends private property and capitalism (a system where private businesses own most things). How this conflict plays out depends on the country's social and economic situation.
Left-wing values include believing that human reason can lead to progress for everyone. They also value secularism (keeping government separate from religion), power through elected lawmakers, social justice, and being careful about strong individual leaders. The right often sees this as being against religion, unrealistic social reform, or promoting class hatred. The right is often doubtful that big reforms can make people better off while keeping competition in the workplace.
The right wing often believes in the importance of the established church. They see it as a way to keep society together. They also believe in strong political leadership to reduce social divisions. The left often sees this as selfish opposition to social justice. They might also see it as wanting to force religion on people, or leading to authoritarianism (strict government control) and repression.
The differences between left and right have changed over time. During the French Revolution, the split was between those who supported an absolute monarchy (the Right) and those who wanted to limit the king's power (the Left). In the 1800s, it was between monarchists and republicans. After the Third Republic started in 1871, the split was between those who wanted a strong executive (leader) on the right and those who wanted the legislature (lawmakers) to have more power on the left.
In the United States
In the U.S., the terms left wing and right wing are less common than liberal or conservative. The term liberal often means the left side of the Democratic Party. It has become similar to the word progressive. Both main political parties in the U.S. are generally liberal in the older, classical sense of the word.
The left in the United States has traditionally worked for a more egalitarian (equal) society. American leftists have combined the idea of social equality with personal freedom. This has led to important parts of modern American society. For example, they have pushed for equal opportunity and equal treatment for women, ethnic and racial minorities, and homosexuals. They have also helped create media and education that are aware of unfair treatment based on race and gender. Many different left-wing movements have existed in American history. These include labor movements, democratic socialist groups, and the New Left.
Why Some People Criticize the Spectrum
Political scientists often say that a single left–right line is too simple. It can't fully describe all the different political beliefs. They often add other lines or "axes" to make it more complete.
Some argue that the terms Left and Right are used to push a certain view, not just to describe things. Those on the Left might say they support working people. They might accuse the Right of supporting the wealthy. Those on the Right might say they support individualism (focus on the individual). They might accuse the Left of supporting collectivism (focus on the group). Some believe that arguing about what these terms mean can stop real discussions about policies.
In 2006, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the main political split wasn't left versus right. Instead, he said it was open versus closed. He thought that views on social issues and globalism were more important than traditional economic left–right issues. In this idea, "open" voters are usually culturally liberal. They support multiculturalism and globalisation. "Closed" voters are often culturally conservative. They may be against immigration and support protectionism (protecting local industries). This "open–closed" idea has gained support as populist and centrist parties have grown.
Norberto Bobbio believed the left–right line was still useful. He thought arguments that the spectrum had disappeared happened when one side was weak. The strong side would claim its ideas were the only possible ones. The weaker side would play down its differences. He saw Left and Right as relative ideas that change over time, but always apply.
In many Western European countries, the left is linked to socially liberal and economically left ideas. The right is linked to socially conservative and economically right ideas. But in Eastern Europe, after communism, it's sometimes different. Economically left parties might hold more nationalist views. Economically right parties might be more liberal and internationalist.
See also
In Spanish: Izquierda y derecha (política) para niños
- Big tent
- Biology and political orientation
- Nolan chart
- NOMINATE, a way to show the political views of lawmakers on a map based on their votes.
- Political spectrum
- Sinistrisme
