124-549: The Caribbean Democracy Union is an alliance of moderate, centre-right and conservative political parties and individuals the Caribbean . It is affiliated to the global International Democrat Union . This article about politics in the Caribbean is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Centre-right Centre-right politics is the set of right-wing political ideologies that lean closer to
248-574: A liberal variant of conservatism . Conservative centre-right parties are more likely to incorporate ethnic nationalism relative to liberal centre-right parties. Conservatives and liberals both oppose heavy governmental involvement in the economy. Right-liberalism is common in Europe, contrasted with the centrist liberalism in Canada and the United Kingdom, and with the left-liberalism of
372-451: A mixed economy with an empowered public sector and a thriving private sector . Centre-left policies tend to favour limited state intervention in matters pertaining to the public interest . In several countries, the terms far-left and radical left have been associated with many varieties of anarchism , autonomism and communism . They have been used to describe groups that advocate anti-capitalism and eco-terrorism . In France,
496-639: A capitalist bourgeois ideology. Marxists were responsible for organizing the first International Working Women's Day events. The women's liberation movement is closely connected to the New Left and other new social movements which openly challenged the orthodoxies of the Old Left. Socialist feminism as exemplified by the Freedom Socialist Party and Radical Women and Marxist feminism , spearheaded by Selma James , saw themselves as
620-606: A central feature of political debates on the Left. During the French Revolution, nationalism was a key policy of the Republican Left. The Republican Left advocated for civic nationalism and argued that the nation is a "daily plebiscite" formed by the subjective "will to live together". Related to revanchism , the belligerent will to take revenge against Germany and retake control of Alsace-Lorraine , nationalism
744-525: A centre-right coalition in Venezuela. Canada was one of the last Anglosphere countries for the centre-right to be restored after World War II, with no centre-right parties holding power until the premiership of Stephen Harper in 2006. The 2007–2008 financial crisis was followed by a decline in support for major centre-right and centre-left parties through the 2010s. For the centre-right, this occurred most prominently in newer democracies, while support
868-653: A challenge for Christian democracy, causing it to lose political influence. African political parties rapidly began joining political internationals in the 1990s. Among the centre-right, collaboration began between the Ghana New Patriotic Party , the Malawi Congress Party , and the Kenya Democratic Party . Japan, which had been ruled almost consistently by the centre-right Liberal Democratic Party for decades, saw
992-584: A concern for those in society whom its adherents perceive as disadvantaged relative to others as well as a belief that there are unjustified inequalities that need to be reduced or abolished through radical means that change the nature of the society they are implemented in. According to emeritus professor of economics Barry Clark, supporters of left-wing politics "claim that human development flourishes when individuals engage in cooperative, mutually respectful relations that can thrive only when excessive differences in status, power, and wealth are eliminated." Within
1116-689: A consolidation of the middle-class at the expense of socialist parties. These centre-right parties gained influence during the Depression of 1920–1921 , where they responded with measures such as a restoration of the gold standard . Among the strongest of these parties were National Bloc and its successors in France, the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, and a coalition of the Catholic Conservative Party and
1240-574: A desire for greater economic equality and workers rights with demands for environmental protection. Democratic socialist Bolivian president Evo Morales has traced environmental degradation to capitalist consumerism , stating that "[t]he Earth does not have enough for the North to live better and better, but it does have enough for all of us to live well". James Hansen , Noam Chomsky , Raj Patel , Naomi Klein , The Yes Men and Dennis Kucinich hold similar views. In climate change mitigation ,
1364-737: A distinction is made between the centre-left and the left represented by the Socialist Party and the French Communist Party and the far-left as represented by anarcho-communists , Maoists and Trotskyists . The United States Department of Homeland Security defines "left-wing extremism" as groups that "seek to bring about change through violent revolution, rather than through established political processes". Similar to far-right politics , extremist far-left politics have motivated political violence , radicalization , genocide , terrorism , sabotage and damage to property,
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#17327730064581488-866: A dominant political force in much of the western world over the following decades, including the American Republican Party as led by Dwight D. Eisenhower , one-nation conservatism of the British Conservative Party, and Gaullism of the Rally of the French People . Europe had little appetite for nationalist ideologies after the end of fascism, so Christian democracy was popularised as an alternative right-wing ideology. Instead of nationalism, its ideas were based on traditional values , pragmatism, and support for moderate state intervention. Its conception of government
1612-535: A firing squad, and children were deprived of any religious education outside of the home. Today in the Western world , those on the Left generally support secularization and the separation of church and state. However, religious beliefs have also been associated with many left-wing movements such as the progressive movement , the Social Gospel movement, the civil rights movement , the anti-war movement ,
1736-423: A force within left-wing politics. The influential Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels , published amidst the wave of revolutions of 1848 across Europe, asserted that all of human history is defined by class struggle . They predicted that a proletarian revolution would eventually overthrow bourgeois capitalism and create a stateless , moneyless and classless communist society . It
1860-549: A left-wing response to The Limits to Growth model that predicted catastrophic resource depletion and spurred environmentalism, postulating that capitalist technologies were the key cause responsible for environmental degradation, as opposed to human population pressures. Environmental degradation can be seen as a class or equity issue, as environmental destruction disproportionately affects poorer communities and countries. Several left-wing or socialist groupings have an overt environmental concern and several green parties contain
1984-633: A means to limit the appeal of the nationalism that had led to fascism. In the United States, the centre-right was associated with the Rockefeller Republican faction of the Republican Party. The American centre-right promoted pro-business stances over the following decades, which led to economic justifications for supporting higher taxes as well as social programs such as public housing . Christian democrats supported
2108-545: A modest welfare state, and the European centre-right was reluctant to support more radical initiatives to liberalise the economy. In Southeast Asia, the centre-right secured power in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, implementing growth-oriented policies based on free market policies with moderate governmental intervention, leading to significant economic expansion. The centre-right rose to power in Greece with
2232-721: A part of the Left by their contemporaries. Feminist pioneer Mary Wollstonecraft was influenced by Thomas Paine . Many notable leftists have been strong supporters of gender equality such as Marxist philosophers and activists Rosa Luxemburg , Clara Zetkin and Alexandra Kollontai , anarchist philosophers and activists such as Virginia Bolten , Emma Goldman and Lucía Sánchez Saornil and democratic socialist philosophers and activists such as Helen Keller and Annie Besant . However, Marxists such as Rosa Luxemburg, Clara Zetkin, and Alexandra Kollontai, who are supporters of radical social equality for women and have rejected and opposed liberal feminism because they considered it to be
2356-482: A part of the Left that challenges male-dominated and sexist structures within the Left. The connection between left-wing ideologies and the struggle for LGBTQ rights also has an important history. Prominent socialists who were involved in early struggles for LGBTQ rights include Edward Carpenter , Oscar Wilde , Harry Hay , Bayard Rustin and Daniel Guérin , among others. The New Left is also strongly supportive of LGBTQ rights and liberation, having been instrumental in
2480-453: A period of opposition to immigration in Europe at this time. By the 1980s, the post-war consensus had ended, with the new right supporting neoconservatism and neoliberalism . At this time, centre-right parties took a more active role in challenging the welfare state and union influence. The predominantly centre-right United States Republican Party began a rightward shift in the 1980s, with its moderate factions declining in numbers over
2604-415: A political force with the creation of party systems in the 19th century, when monarchist and religious conservatives competed with individualist and anti-clerical liberals. Christian democracy developed in the 1870s as another response to anti-clericalism. The centre-right provided a moderate position to compete with socialism in the 19th century, and it became a driving force for liberal democracy in
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#17327730064582728-563: A position within the political mainstream that accepts capitalism and a market economy. The terms far-left and ultra-left are used for positions that are more radical , more strongly rejecting capitalism and mainstream representative democracy , instead advocating for a socialist society based on economic democracy and direct democracy , representing economic, political and social democracy. The centre-left includes social democrats , social liberals , progressives and greens . Centre-left supporters accept market allocation of resources in
2852-470: A proliferation of centre-right opposition parties by the 1990s, with new parties forming and established parties shifting toward the centre-right to remain competitive. Following the rise of the Third Way among left-wing politics in the 1990s, the centre-right was forced to moderate, sacrificing the more aggressive aspects of right-wing politics that developed in the 1980s and abandoning its opposition to
2976-412: A religious justification for supporting democratisation , individual liberties , and international cooperation. Christian democrats hold conservative positions on most issues, but in a more moderate fashion than groups specifically described as conservative, and they trend centrist on economic issues. Instead of a strong government, it advocates decentralisation where other social units such as family,
3100-461: A ruling elite of individuals) while it prepares a population for capitalist exploitation. Within anarchism, this subject has been extensively discussed by Rudolf Rocker in his book titled Nationalism and Culture and by the works of Fredy Perlman such as Against His-Story, Against Leviathan and The Continuing Appeal of Nationalism . The failure of revolutions in Germany and Hungary in
3224-684: A strong socialist presence. The Green Party of England and Wales features an eco-socialist group, the Green Left , which was founded in June 2005. Its members held several influential positions within the party, including both the former Principal Speakers Siân Berry and Derek Wall , himself an eco-socialist and Marxist academic. In Europe, several green left political parties such as the European United Left–Nordic Green Left combine traditional social-democratic values such as
3348-404: A temporary state between the capitalist state of affairs and a communist society . Marx defined the proletariat as salaried workers, in contrast to the lumpenproletariat , who he defined as the outcasts of society such as beggars, tricksters, entertainers, buskers, criminals and prostitutes. The political relevance of farmers has divided the left. In Das Kapital , Marx scarcely mentioned
3472-614: Is bourgeois nationalism . Some Marxists, together with others on the left, view nationalism , racism (including antisemitism) and religion as divide and conquer tactics used by the ruling classes to prevent the working class from uniting against them in solidarity with one another. Left-wing movements have often taken up anti-imperialist positions. Anarchism has developed a critique of nationalism that focuses on nationalism's role in justifying and consolidating state power and domination. Through its unifying goal, nationalism strives for centralisation (both in specific territories and in
3596-694: Is also associated with anti-communism , which earned it support during the Cold War . Culturally, the centre-right has prioritised national and religious identity, especially by the mid-20th century. It has used religion and moral values as uniting elements, particularly with the middle class . European centre-right parties place higher priority on Christianity and providing support to Christians—a trait often shared with their far-right counterparts. The centre-right more strongly supports freedom of religion overall, as opposed to generalised support of human rights expressed by left-wing ideologies. As European
3720-449: Is continuous with that of the 19th century, and Christian democracy is sometimes regarded separately from the typical right-wing voter bloc. Conservatism is commonly grouped with the centre-right, though adherents of the far-right may argue that the centre-right is insufficiently conservative. Liberalism is sometimes grouped with the centre-right when it is expressed as conservative liberalism . The centre-right can also include
3844-556: Is derived from the left–right political spectrum , which originated with the seating arrangements of the National Assembly during the French Revolution . The centre-right came into being in the 19th century, developing with the earliest political parties . Modern conservatism was derived from the ideas of British philosopher Edmund Burke and various 17th century figures who preceded him. The liberal movement
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3968-465: Is heterogeneous and encompasses multiple distinct ideologies. Centre-right parties and coalitions are traditionally understood to be divided into separate factions depending on their priorities: economic, social, and cultural. They are unified by their opposition to left-wing politics . Christian democracy is a political ideology predominant in Europe that is often described as centre-right. It applies Christian morality to political issues, giving
4092-444: Is more likely to present immigration as a prominent issue when it is placed in the context of economic and cultural policy. Right-wing politics has historically opposed social acceptance of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, but the European centre-right has come to support protections on the basis of sexual orientation. Some centre-right groups have taken the position that gay marriage and adoption by gay couples are an extension of
4216-421: Is sometimes used to justify hostility towards supranational organizations. Left-wing nationalism can also refer to any form of nationalism which emphasizes a leftist working-class populist agenda that seeks to overcome exploitation or oppression by other nations. Many Third World anti-colonialist movements have adopted leftist and socialist ideas. Third-Worldism is a tendency within leftist thought that regards
4340-592: Is used for social and cultural politics. In the United Kingdom during the 1980s, the term hard left was applied to supporters of Tony Benn such as the Campaign Group and those involved in the London Labour Briefing newspaper as well as Trotskyist groups such as Militant and the Alliance for Workers' Liberty . In the same period, the term soft left was applied to supporters of
4464-526: The Bible . In the late 19th century, the Protestant Social Gospel movement arose in the United States which integrated progressive and socialist thought with Christianity through faith-based social activism. Other left-wing religious movements include Buddhist socialism, Jewish socialism and Islamic socialism. There have been alliances between the left and anti-war Muslims , such as
4588-799: The Centrist Democrat International and centre-right liberal parties are affiliated with the International Democracy Union . In Europe, centre-right parties are affiliated with the European People's Party . Centre-right politics is associated with conservative positions on social and cultural issues and free-market liberal positions on economic issues—centre-right parties see their strongest support among demographics that share all of these positions. It broadly supports small government , though different factions hold different beliefs about when
4712-945: The Democratic and Republican parties, or as synonyms for liberalism and conservatism , respectively. Since the Right was populist, both in the Western and the Eastern Bloc , anything viewed as avant-garde art was called leftist across Europe, thus the identification of Picasso's Guernica as "leftist" in Europe and the condemnation of the Russian composer Shostakovich 's opera ( The Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District ) in Pravda as follows: "Here we have 'leftist' confusion instead of natural, human music". The spectrum of left-wing politics ranges from centre-left to far-left or ultra-left . The term centre-left describes
4836-628: The Great Depression set in. In nations where the centre-right lacked a unified party, such as Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, far-right movements seized power. Strong pre-existing centre-right parties retained power in other countries, including Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The use of market economics to keep wages steady, as well as the relative weakness of labour unions, meant that centre-right liberalism went unchallenged in much of Europe. In
4960-526: The New Democracy party in the 1970s, led by Konstantinos Karamanlis as Greece transitioned from dictatorship to democracy. Spain and Portugal underwent similar transitions as they emerged from dictatorship. The 1970s saw decreasing support for welfare policies with the end of the postwar economic boom and the economic fallout of the 1970s energy crisis . This led to increased support for privatisation and cuts in welfare spending. It also led
5084-609: The Radicals in Switzerland. Christian democracy found a place among the European centre-right during the interwar period . Centre-right parties became the primary supporters of liberal democracy at this time, challenging the historical association of liberalism with the labour movement . The liberal centre-right opposed the other two European ideologies that were growing in popularity: fascism and social democracy . The European centre-right declined between 1931 and 1935 as
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5208-599: The Republicans and Eugène Etienne , the president of the Parliamentary Colonial Group. After the antisemitic Dreyfus Affair in which officer Alfred Dreyfus was falsely convicted of sedition and exiled to a penal colony in 1894 before being exonerated in 1906, nationalism in the form of Boulangism increasingly became associated with the far-right. The Marxist social class theory of proletarian internationalism asserts that members of
5332-674: The Respect Party and the Stop the War Coalition in Britain. In France, the left has been divided over moves to ban the hijab from schools, with some leftists supporting a ban based on the separation of church and state in accordance with the principle of laïcité and other leftists opposing the prohibition based on personal and religious freedom. Social progressivism is another common feature of modern leftism, particularly in
5456-762: The Roman Catholic Church and supporting atheism and the separation of church and state , ushering in a policy known as laïcité . Karl Marx asserted that "religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people ". In Soviet Russia, the Bolsheviks under Vladimir Lenin originally embraced an ideological principle which professed that all religion would eventually atrophy and resolved to eradicate organized Christianity and other religious institutions. In 1918, 10 Russian Orthodox hierarchs were summarily executed by
5580-563: The Saint-Imier International and later the International Workers' Association (IWA–AIT) . The Second International (1888–1916) became divided over the issue of World War I . Those who opposed the war, among them Vladimir Lenin and Rosa Luxemburg , saw themselves as further to the left. In the United States, leftists such as social liberals , progressives and trade unionists were influenced by
5704-638: The Second Republic was an attempt by the Left to re-assert itself after the 1848 Revolution , but only a small portion of the population supported this. In the mid-19th century, nationalism , socialism , democracy and anti-clericalism became key features of the French Left. After Napoleon III 's 1851 coup and the subsequent establishment of the Second Empire , Marxism began to rival radical republicanism and utopian socialism as
5828-530: The Third Estate ) generally sat to the left of the presiding member's chair in parliament while the ones in favour of the royal veto privilege sat on its right. That habit began in the original French National Assembly . Throughout the 19th century, the main line dividing Left and Right was between supporters of the French republic and those of the monarchy 's privileges. The June Days uprising during
5952-490: The Western world include strong opposition to the death penalty , torture , mass surveillance , and the war on drugs , and support for abortion rights, cognitive liberty , LGBTQ rights including legal recognition of same-sex marriage , same-sex adoption of children, the right to change one's legal gender , distribution of contraceptives , and public funding of embryonic stem-cell research . The desire for an expansion of social and civil liberties often overlaps that of
6076-412: The aftermath of World War II , the old centre-right was discredited in Europe, where it was seen as responsible for the Great Depression and complicit in the rise of fascism. European centre-right parties worked closely with the centre-left and the political centre in the post-war era , helping to define the welfare state, democratic consolidation , and European integration . They sought to avoid
6200-470: The centre-left , especially social democrats who adopted the Third Way . Left-wing politics are typically associated with popular or state control of major political and economic institutions. Other leftists believe in Marxian economics , named after the economic theories of Karl Marx . Some distinguish Marx's economic theories from his political philosophy, arguing that Marx's approach to understanding
6324-639: The displacement of Keynesianism and post-war social democracy . One of the first actions of Ed Miliband , the Labour Party leader who succeeded Blair and Brown, was the rejection of the New Labour label and a promise to abandon the Third Way and turn back to the left. However, Labour's voting record in the House of Commons from 2010 to 2015 indicated that the Labour Party under Miliband had maintained
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#17327730064586448-607: The left–right political spectrum , Left and Right were coined during the French Revolution , referring to the seating arrangement in the French National Assembly . Those who sat on the left generally opposed the ancien régime and the Bourbon monarchy and supported the Revolution, the creation of a democratic republic and the secularisation of society while those on the right were supportive of
6572-413: The libertarian movement. Public education was a subject of great interest to groundbreaking social progressives such as Lester Frank Ward and John Dewey , who believed that a democratic society and system of government was practically impossible without a universal and comprehensive nationwide system of education. Various counterculture and anti-war movements in the 1960s and 1970s were associated with
6696-699: The political centre . It is commonly associated with conservatism , Christian democracy , liberal conservatism , and conservative liberalism . Conservative and liberal centre-right parties have historically been more successful in the Anglosphere , while Christian democracy has been the primary centre-right ideology in Europe. The centre-right commonly supports ideas such as small government , law and order , freedom of religion , and strong national security . It has historically stood in opposition to radical politics , redistributive policies , multiculturalism , immigration , and LGBT acceptance. Economically,
6820-475: The welfare state through industrial democracy and the social market to the nationalization of the economy and central planning , to the anarcho-syndicalist advocacy of a council-based and self-managed anarchist communism . During the Industrial Revolution , leftists supported trade unions . At the beginning of the 20th century, many leftists advocated strong government intervention in
6944-476: The working class should act in solidarity with working people in other countries in pursuit of a common class interest , rather than only focusing on their own countries. Proletarian internationalism is summed up in the slogan: " Workers of the world, unite! ", the last line of The Communist Manifesto . Union members had learned that more members meant more bargaining power. Taken to an international level, leftists argued that workers should act in solidarity with
7068-701: The " proletariat can and must build the socialist society in one country". In April 1925, Nikolai Bukharin elaborated on the issue in his brochure titled Can We Build Socialism in One Country in the Absence of the Victory of the West-European Proletariat? , whose position was adopted as state policy after Stalin's January 1926 article titled On the Issues of Leninism (К вопросам ленинизма)
7192-399: The 1918–1920 years ended Bolshevik hopes for an imminent world revolution and led to the promotion of the doctrine of socialism in one country by Joseph Stalin . In the first edition of his book titled Osnovy Leninizma ( Foundations of Leninism , 1924), Stalin argued that revolution in one country is insufficient. By the end of that year in the second edition of the book, he argued that
7316-528: The 1970s caused a rise in support for neoliberalism and neoconservatism . The dissolution of the Soviet Union allowed a new centre-right movement to develop and take power in Central and Eastern Europe through the 1990s. The 2007–2008 financial crisis led to declining support for the centre-right, and the following decade saw it replaced by greater support for far-right politics . The centre-right
7440-537: The 1970s onwards, environmentalism became an increasing concern of the left, with social movements and several unions campaigning on environmental issues and causes. In Australia, the left-wing Builders Labourers Federation , led by the communist Jack Mundy, united with environmentalists to place green bans on environmentally destructive development projects. Several segments of the socialist and Marxist left consciously merged environmentalism and anti-capitalism into an eco-socialist ideology. Barry Commoner articulated
7564-526: The 19th and 20th centuries. In addition, the term left-wing has also been applied to a broad range of culturally liberal social movements, including the civil rights movement , feminist movement , LGBT rights movement , abortion-rights movements , multiculturalism , anti-war movement and environmental movement as well as a wide range of political parties . The following positions are typically associated with left-wing politics. Left-leaning economic beliefs range from Keynesian economics and
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#17327730064587688-478: The British Labour Party who were perceived to be more moderate and closer to the centre, accepting Keynesianism . Under the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown , the Labour Party adopted the Third Way and rebranded itself as New Labour in order to promote the notion that it was less left-wing than it had been in the past to accommodate the neoliberal trend arising since the 1970s with
7812-632: The Cold War, centre-right groups supported the United States and the Western Bloc , opposing the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc . In several countries, centre-right parties were opposed by domestic communism on top of their opposition to the Soviet Union. As suffrage expanded and the centre-right spread across social classes, cultural issues and social identity, such as support for nationalism and religion, became more prominent themes. The European centre-right began supporting social integration as
7936-486: The Earth. This principle is reflected in much of the historical left-wing thought and literature that came afterwards, although there were disagreements about what this entailed. Both Karl Marx and the early socialist philosopher and scholar William Morris arguably had a concern for environmental matters. According to Marx, "[e]ven an entire society, a nation, or all simultaneously existing societies taken together, are not
8060-448: The Left is also divided over how to effectively and equitably reduce carbon emissions as the center-left often advocates a reliance on market measures such as emissions trading and a carbon tax while those further to the left support direct government regulation and intervention in the form of a Green New Deal , either alongside or instead of market mechanisms. The question of nationality , imperialism and nationalism has been
8184-485: The New Left. Unlike the earlier leftist focus on labour union activism and a proletarian revolution, the New Left instead adopted a broader definition of political activism commonly called social activism . The New Left in the United States is associated with the hippie movement , mass protest movements on school campuses and a broadening of focus from protesting class -based oppression to include issues such as gender , race and sexual orientation . The British New Left
8308-462: The Soviet Union encouraged close alignment with the United States and strong support for combatting dictatorships. The centre-right in this region fragmented at the onset of the 21st century as much of the centre-right shifted away from liberalism to more conservative and nationalist politics with a strong stance against European integration. As Islamism lost support in Turkey, many Islamists moved to
8432-553: The United States, where social progressives played an important role in the abolition of slavery , the enshrinement of women's suffrage in the United States Constitution , and the protection of civil rights , LGBTQ rights , women's rights and multiculturalism . Progressives have both advocated for alcohol prohibition legislation and worked towards its repeal in the mid to late 1920s and early 1930s. Current positions associated with social progressivism in
8556-494: The United States. Economic ideologies associated with the centre-right include neoliberalism and market liberalism . Other ideologies sometimes grouped under the centre-right descriptor include agrarianism and populist nationalism . Centre-right liberal and conservative parties have historically been successful in the Anglosphere , such as those in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and they have made up
8680-457: The anti- capital punishment movement and Liberation Theology . Early utopian socialist thinkers such as Robert Owen , Charles Fourier and the Comte de Saint-Simon based their theories of socialism upon Christian principles. Other common leftist concerns such as pacifism , social justice , racial equality , human rights and the rejection of capitalism and excessive wealth can be found in
8804-400: The beginning of the 21st century, but by the 2010s these groups had lost influence as the Republican Party shifted from the centre-right to right-wing populism . The centre-right underwent a decline throughout the western world in the late 2010s and early 2020s, led by demographic changes such as increased tertiary education and ethnic diversity as well as the waning influence of religion and
8928-563: The centre-left—this included parties in Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden. The 2000s also saw an example of a successful populist centre-right party with the ascension of Forza Italia , led by Silvio Berlusconi . During the 2003 invasion of Iraq , centre-right parties in Europe were more likely to send military forces than centre-left parties. This was especially true in Central and Eastern Europe, where memories of
9052-759: The centre-right lacked experience in political organisation, many of the first-generation centre-right movements lost momentum and faded into irrelevance in the years thereafter. Nationalism and populism became the dominant political forces here until the end of the decade. Centre-right liberals in Central and Eastern Europe supported integration with the Western World and acceleration of industrialisation, while conservatives wished to preserve individual national identities and protect Catholic traditions from Western secularism. Post-communist centre-right groups were more inclined toward liberal positions, favouring market capitalist policies over government intervention, which
9176-475: The centre-right secularises, it becomes less likely to support conservative positions on social issues . Centre-right parties that take strong stances on cultural issues are more susceptible to radicalise and adopt far-right positions. While opposition to immigration is most commonly associated with far-right politics , the centre-right can attract support from voters with more moderate anti-immigrant positions. Centre-right opposition to immigration comes from
9300-423: The centre-right supports free markets and the social market economy , with market liberalism and neoliberalism being common centre-right economic positions. It typically seeks to preserve the cultural and socioeconomic status quo and believes that changes should be implemented gradually . The centre-right is derived from the left–right political spectrum of the French Revolution . It first developed as
9424-589: The centre-right until a leftward shift among women took place over the 1970s and 1980s. Eastern and Central Europe were introduced to centre-right politics in the 1990s after the dissolution of the Soviet Union . These movements—which preferred not to be identified as parties due to the term's association with communism—were made up of intellectual groups that had been dissidents during communist rule. The Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland all had strong opposition movements under communism, allowing these movements to form strong centre-right parties. In nations where
9548-748: The centre-right's handling of economic crises reached a crescendo with public demonstrations that relegated the centre-right to a relatively ineffective opposition. Colombia was an exception, where the long-standing centre-right dominance remained unchallenged. Centre-right parties retook power in several Latin American countries by the 2010s, including the National Renewal in Chile and the Republican Proposal in Argentina, as well as
9672-509: The centre-right, forming the new Justice and Development Party . This party was more accepting of secularism and neoliberalism, and it became the nation's dominant political force. Although citizens throughout Latin America most commonly self-identified as centre-right, the region saw a surge of popularity for expanding government programs and state ownership , leading to a leftward shift that began in 1998. In Bolivia, dissatisfaction with
9796-412: The challenge that immigration presents to the status quo and to national identity. Supporters of centre-right politics in Europe often fear that immigration will lead to consequences such as increased crime , abuse of welfare , or acts of terrorism . Centre-right political parties sometimes take stronger positions against multiculturalism to gain an advantage over far-right parties. The centre-right
9920-505: The community, and various organisations are major actors in society. While still supporting a market economy, Christian democrats are more open to state intervention than conservatives, so as to prevent social inequality . Unlike historical Christian political movements, Christian democracy is non-denominational and is not affiliated with the Catholic Church . Political scientists disagree as to whether post-war Christian democracy
10044-592: The creation of a strong Christian democratic movement in Italy, which was a leading political force in various coalitions for over 50 years. The United Kingdom was the only major exception to the spread of Christian democracy, as its old centre-right was seen as triumphant under the wartime leadership of Winston Churchill , and the failure of Nazi Germany to invade meant that its pre-war institutions remained intact. Here conservatism remained dominant, meaning less state intervention relative to other European nations. During
10168-928: The developing world such as the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in Mexico, the Abahlali baseMjondolo in South Africa and the Naxalites in India have argued that the First World and the Second World Left takes a racist and paternalistic attitude towards liberation movements in the Third World. The original French Left was firmly anti-clerical , strongly opposing the influence of
10292-433: The division between First World and Second World developed countries and Third World developing countries as being of high political importance. This tendency supports decolonization and national liberation movements against imperialism by capitalists. Third-Worldism is closely connected with African socialism , Latin American socialism , Maoism , pan-Africanism and pan-Arabism . Several left-wing groups in
10416-429: The early 20th century. The centre-right was reconfigured after World War II to temper support for nationalism; it became a dominant political position throughout the Western world , particularly with the spread of Christian democracy across Europe. It aligned with the Western bloc during the Cold War, and in Europe it heavily influenced democratic consolidation and European integration . Global economic downturn in
10540-422: The economy is independent of his advocacy of revolutionary socialism or his belief in the inevitability of a proletarian revolution . Marxian economics do not exclusively rely on Marx and draw from a range of Marxist and non-Marxist sources. The dictatorship of the proletariat and workers' state are terms used by some Marxists, particularly Leninists and Marxist–Leninists , to describe what they see as
10664-538: The economy to regulate how business may be conducted, but it opposes nationalisation or infringement on the free market . Social market economies allow cooperation between employers and unions, and they provide for basic welfare programs, though centre-right parties that have less appeal among working class voters have less incentive to dedicate themselves to these positions. Centre-right conservatives oppose redistributive policies , believing that individuals should be allowed to retain their wealth. This tends to attract
10788-405: The economy, its incrementalist approach to politics, and its support for the status quo have been attributed to its ability to remain in power for extended periods of time. The centre-right commonly supports a social market economy , rejecting both socialism and laissez-faire capitalism. First developed by Christian democrats in post-war Germany, this system allows the state to intervene in
10912-554: The economy, preferring social ownership and local control in which a nation of decentralized regions is united in a confederation . The global justice movement , also known as the anti-globalisation movement and the alter-globalisation movement, protests against corporate economic globalisation due to its negative consequences for the poor, workers, the environment, and small businesses. Leftists generally believe in innovation in various technological and philosophical fields and disciplines to help causes they support. One of
11036-404: The economy. Leftists continue to criticize the perceived exploitative nature of globalization , the " race to the bottom " and unjust lay-offs and exploitation of workers. In the last quarter of the 20th century, the belief that the government (ruling in accordance with the interests of the people) ought to be directly involved in the day-to-day workings of an economy declined in popularity amongst
11160-482: The far-right and far-left politics that had brought about Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, respectively, and they saw European integration as a means to protect against socialism and anti-Christianity. The modern centre-right developed in response as a political unification of several distinct right-wing schools of thought. Ideological diversity meant flexibility in policy positions, but it also caused factionalism across centre-right parties. The centre-right became
11284-409: The first decade of Soviet rule, before Joseph Stalin attacked ecologists and the science of ecology, purged environmentalists and promoted the pseudoscience of Trofim Lysenko during his rule up until his death in 1953. Similarly, Mao Zedong rejected environmentalism and believed that based on the laws of historical materialism, all of nature must be put into the service of revolution. From
11408-559: The following decades. The Indian Bharatiya Janata Party followed the Western centre-right strategy in the 1980s and 1990s, appealing to the centre while maintaining a militarist, nationalist platform. New political parties were formed in Turkey after the 1980 coup d'état , and the Motherland Party , led by businessmen and tradesmen, implemented secular neoliberal policies. In European nations, women were most likely to support
11532-493: The foremost left-wing advocates was Thomas Paine, one of the first individuals since left and right became political terms to describe the collective human ownership of the world which he speaks of in Agrarian Justice. As such, most of left-wing thought and literature regarding environmentalism stems from this duty of ownership and the aforementioned form of cooperative ownership means that humanity must take care of
11656-408: The formation of militant organizations, political repression , conspiracism , xenophobia , and nationalism . In China, the term Chinese New Left denotes those who oppose the economic reforms enacted by Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s and 1990s, favour instead the restoration of Maoist policies and the immediate transition to a socialist economy. In the Western world , the term New Left
11780-553: The founding of the LGBTQ rights movement in the aftermath of the Stonewall Riots of 1969. Contemporary leftist activists and socialist countries such as Cuba are actively supportive of LGBTQ+ people and are involved in the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and equality. In politics, the term Left derives from the French Revolution as the political groups opposed to the royal veto privilege ( Montagnard and Jacobin deputies from
11904-422: The international proletariat in order to further increase the power of the working class. Proletarian internationalism saw itself as a deterrent against war and international conflicts, because people with a common interest are less likely to take up arms against one another, instead focusing on fighting the bourgeoisie as the ruling class . According to Marxist theory, the antonym of proletarian internationalism
12028-495: The middle and working classes. In most countries, centre-right ideologies such as conservatism and Christian democracy are perceived by the public as most capable of managing the economy. Economic downturn often leads to a short-term benefit for centre-right parties before a longer-term benefit for centre-left parties. The centre-right places emphasis on protecting public safety , preserving national security , and maintaining law and order . It supports democratisation around
12152-582: The more wealthy to the ideology. While left-wing politics involves class conflict , centre-right parties forgo this in favour of supporting overall economic growth across classes. Alongside its support for lowering spending, the centre-right supports lower taxes. In some cases, they may advocate private-public partnership or emphasise policies geared toward economic growth—these traits are common in Latin America where centre-right parties differentiate themselves from far-right parties by appealing to
12276-533: The owners of the earth. They are simply its possessors, its beneficiaries, and have to bequeath it in an improved state to succeeding generations". Following the Russian Revolution, environmental scientists such as revolutionary Alexander Bogdanov and the Proletkult organisation made efforts to incorporate environmentalism into Bolshevism and "integrate production with natural laws and limits" in
12400-427: The placement along the political spectrum in a given time and place. At the end of the 18th century, upon the founding of the first liberal democracies , the term Left was used to describe liberalism in the United States and republicanism in France, supporting a lesser degree of hierarchical decision-making than the right-wing politics of the traditional conservatives and monarchists . In modern politics,
12524-681: The primary centre-right ideologies in Scandinavia. In contemporary politics, these two ideologies often co-exist in the same party. Christian democracy has been the predominant centre-right ideology in continental Europe, particularly in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. It has performed most successfully in Catholic countries, while Christian democracy in other countries takes on more left-wing positions or fails to gain influence. Christian democratic parties are affiliated with
12648-411: The public from the centre-right to opposition parties across the political spectrum. The weakening of the centre-right corresponded with increased support for the far-right. To align more closely with conservative allies, Christian democratic parties had begun adopting more conservative economic policies by 2013. The American centre-right supported traditionalist conservatism and neoconservatism at
12772-463: The rise of identity politics . At this time, the centre-left came into power and centre-right parties drifted rightward or were supplanted by new far-right parties. Left-wing politics Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism , often in opposition to social hierarchy as a whole or certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politics typically involve
12896-407: The societal status quo , in both a cultural and socioeconomic context, and it is opposed to the radical politics espoused by the far-right. Instead, it displays loss-averse tendencies and leans toward gradualism . Constitutionalism and separation of powers are championed by the centre-right, combining protections for individual liberties with rule of law . The centre-right's handling of
13020-431: The source for a better kind of social revolution . This view has been criticized by several Marxists , especially Trotskyists , who characterized this approach as "substitutionism" which they described as a misguided and non-Marxist belief that other groups in society could "substitute" for and "replace" the revolutionary agency of the working class. Many early feminists and advocates of women's rights were considered
13144-484: The state should intervene in economic and social affairs. Conservatives generally have limited trust in human nature and believe society forms a natural hierarchical structure. Liberalism is individualist and maintains that people are best fit to make decisions for themselves. Christian democrats lean toward personalism , which places value on individuals but adopts collectivist and corporatist elements as well as hierarchy. The centre-right generally seeks to preserve
13268-559: The strongly anti-socialist church by advocating a more tempered approach. Christian democracy likewise presented itself as an alternative to liberalism and socialism. Centre-right figures were involved in early democratisation processes to ensure that their own advantages from the previous status quo were retained. Centre-right liberalism declined with the beginning of the 20th century, and many liberal parties merged with conservative parties. After World War I , several European nations formed weak centre-right parties, which grew through
13392-462: The subject. Mikhail Bakunin thought the lumpenproletariat was a revolutionary class, while Mao Zedong believed that it would be rural peasants, not urban workers, who would bring about the proletarian revolution . Left-libertarians , anarchists and libertarian socialists believe in a decentralized economy run by trade unions , workers' councils , cooperatives , municipalities and communes, opposing both state and private control of
13516-489: The term Left typically applies to ideologies and movements to the left of classical liberalism , supporting some degree of democracy in the economic sphere . Today, ideologies such as social liberalism and social democracy are considered to be centre-left , while the Left is typically reserved for movements more critical of capitalism , including the labour movement , socialism , anarchism , communism , Marxism and syndicalism , each of which rose to prominence in
13640-503: The theory of socialism in one country. European social democrats strongly support Europeanism and supranational integration within the European Union , although there is a minority of nationalists and Eurosceptics on the left. Several scholars have linked this form of left-wing nationalism to the pressure generated by economic integration with other countries, often encouraged by neoliberal free trade agreements. This view
13764-428: The traditional nuclear family . Such support has not been widely extended to transgender people. Centre-right parties support environmental preservation, though they are often seen as less interested in the subject than left-wing parties. The centre-right rejects concepts of climate grief or catastrophism, arguing that they can reduce interest in solving environmental issues. The concept of centre-right politics
13888-594: The traditional institutions of the Ancien Régime. Usage of the term Left became more prominent after the restoration of the French monarchy in 1815, when it was applied to the Independents . The word wing was first appended to Left and Right in the late 19th century, usually with disparaging intent, and left-wing was applied to those who were unorthodox in their religious or political views. Ideologies considered to be left-wing vary greatly depending on
14012-451: The upper class. Christian democracy developed as a new European ideology in the 1870s as a response to the anti-clericalism advocated by liberals. Closely aligned with Catholicism, its ideals were reflected in the Rerum novarum issued by Pope Leo XIII . The European centre-right was a force of moderation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Conservatism stood between socialism and
14136-654: The welfare state. It saw reduced support at this time as the centre-left usurped much of its leverage on economic issues. In Western Europe, this marked the beginning of a broader decline in moderate politics. The 2000s saw a shift back to the right in Europe, where centre-right parties formed coalition governments with far-right parties in countries such as France, Italy, and the Netherlands. The European and American centre-right adopted some nationalist far-right ideas at this time, including positions on immigration and crime. Centre-right parties in other countries shifted leftward with pro-labour policies to remain competitive with
14260-597: The works of Thomas Paine , who introduced the concept of asset-based egalitarianism which theorises that social equality is possible by a redistribution of resources. After the Reconstruction era in the aftermath of the American Civil War , the phrase "the Left" was used to describe those who supported trade unions, the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement . More recently, left-wing and right-wing have often been used as synonyms for
14384-505: The world, and some centre-right groups consider regime change an appropriate means to spread and protect democracy. Taking a strong pro-peace stance can alienate members of a centre-right voting bloc. It is often more reluctant to support peace agreements because these often involve compromising on other centre-right positions such as maintaining a strong ethnic and religious identity. The centre-right leans toward paternalism over individualism and social harmony over societal conflict. It
14508-485: Was an intellectually driven movement which attempted to correct the perceived errors of the Old Left . The New Left opposed prevailing authoritarian structures in society which it designated as " The Establishment " and became known as the "Anti-Establishment". The New Left did not seek to recruit industrial workers en masse, but instead concentrated on a social activist approach to organization, convinced that they could be
14632-662: Was associated with communist rule. Anti-communism and anti-totalitarianism were paramount among all factions of the centre-right in these regions, and they condemned the West for treating mass killings under communist regimes differently than the Holocaust . More broadly, the European centre-right became increasingly secular by the 1990s, creating a division between centre-right parties that were more liberal on social issues and religious right parties that maintained conservative positions on social issues. Secularism especially became
14756-510: Was heavily influenced by English philosopher John Locke , including his support for property rights and the right to overthrow tyrannical government. Early conservative and liberal parties clashed with one another: conservatives supported monarchy, land-owners, and the church, while liberals supported anti-clericalism, free markets, individualism, and scientific advancement. Due to limitations in suffrage , early centre-right parties were able to maintain sufficient support by appealing solely to
14880-671: Was heavily influenced by the constitutionalism and separation of powers of the United Kingdom and the United States. West Germany reformed its centre-right faction with the creation of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU). Formed by a grassroots Christian movement, the CDU played a significant role in forming post-war Germany, combining social Christianity, market liberalism, and national conservatism . Its social market economy model proved to be influential across Europe. Alcide De Gasperi similarly brought about
15004-474: Was in this period that the word wing was appended to both Left and Right. The International Workingmen's Association (1864–1876), sometimes called the First International, brought together delegates from many different countries, with many different views about how to reach a classless and stateless society. Following a split between supporters of Marx and Mikhail Bakunin , anarchists formed
15128-410: Was published. This idea was opposed by Leon Trotsky and his supporters, who declared the need for an international " permanent revolution " and condemned Stalin for betraying the goals and ideals of the socialist revolution. Various Fourth Internationalist groups around the world who describe themselves as Trotskyist see themselves as standing in this tradition while Maoist China formally supported
15252-700: Was sometimes opposed to imperialism . In the 1880s, there was a debate between leftists such as the Radical Georges Clemenceau , the Socialist Jean Jaurès and the nationalist Maurice Barrès , who argued that colonialism diverted France from liberating the "blue line of the Vosges ", in reference to Alsace-Lorraine; and the " colonial lobby " such as Jules Ferry of the Moderate Republicans , Léon Gambetta of
15376-510: Was steadier in more established ones. To regain support, the European centre-right shifted toward the centre and moved away from neoliberalism, replacing it with a renewed focus on public safety, economic growth, and social issues. It saw further trouble later in the decade with the European debt crisis causing governments to enact controversial austerity policies, particularly through spending cuts and value-added taxes . These further pushed
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