Parties left and right - who are they and what do they want?

Right-wing forces held a rally ... The left-centrist did not support the bill ... These words are constantly heard from the TV screens, they can be seen on the pages of newspapers. Who are the right and left, who are constantly talking about? And why they are called just like that?

Origin of terms

These definitions of political trends are quite old. They appeared in France, during the bourgeois revolution. And they had absolutely literal meaning.

That is, there were really leftist, really right and real centrists. Simply because that's how supporters of certain political currents took seats in parliament. To the left sat the left, and to the right - the real right. Who were these people? Representatives of three parties: Felians, Girondins and Yakbeans.

Felians were convinced supporters of the monarchy, which existed at that time in France. They were the first "right". Who are the leftists? Their opponents, the Jacobins are revolutionaries and subversive of the foundations. And in the center were the Girondins, a moderate-minded party that supported the idea of creating a republic, but not in such a radical form as the Jacobins.

Turn right around

This is how these terms arose. And if at first they were called precisely the supporters of the monarchy and the bourgeois republic, then later these words began to be labeled simply conservatives, who advocate the preservation of the old order, and radicals, who are striving for significant changes. The consequence of this was a funny linguistic incident. During the French Revolution, the Yakobots fought for the overthrow of the monarchy and the creation of a bourgeois republic. And they were left. And then, after many years, the bourgeois republics became the political norm. And the revolutionaries fought for socialism. According to the habit of such fiery wrestlers with the existing system, they were called leftists. But who are the right? Of course, their opponents are conservatives. That is already supporters of the bourgeois current. That's how the terms at the same time and retained the old meaning, and lost it. The revolutionaries remained leftists, but now they fought not against the bourgeois republic, but against it.

Such right-wingers

Later the terms changed the semantic content several times. In the thirties in Germany to the question: "Who are the right?" There could be only one answer.

Of course, the National Socialist Workers Party! But this current is now called nothing but fascism. Nothing to do with the French supporters of the monarchy or the Russian adherents of the doctrine of the bourgeois republic.

In the 60s, right-wingers in France meant a political movement that denied the possibility of equal rights and opportunities for all members of society.

Obviously, it is impossible to give a clear answer to the question of what kind of political current it is. Because everywhere there were different right. Who such these people and what they want, depends on the country and the historical period.

Conservatives and innovators

The only thing that unites all the right parties - they are by definition conservative. The force that advocates the preservation of the existing system is the right, for its categorical overthrow - the left. And supporters of successive changes and compromise are centrists.

Modern right-wing parties usually respect private property, consider a certain level of class inequality to be natural and inevitable and advocate a strong vertical of power.

This, a rather conservative channel, is held by parties that have at the heart of their ideology a religion or the principles of national self-awareness.

This is what the average right-wingers look like. Who are the left then?

Now such trends adhere to the concept of minimizing the influence of the state on the lives of citizens. Often it is proposed to introduce public ownership of the means of production-at least the largest. And, of course, they advocate total and universal equality. That is, in some ways utopians. The left parties are usually referred to as socialists, communists, anarchists and the current, based on the principles of class equality - workers' associations, labor unions. Curious paradox. If nationalist currents usually hold to the leftist convictions, then the various liberation movements fighting for independence are on the contrary right.

Criticism of terms

At present, such bipolarity of party systems exists only on the pages of newspapers and in conversations of the townsfolk. Political scientists prefer to use more precise definitions.

Yet the political picture of the world, consisting of left, right and centrist, is overly simplistic. Many ideologies have lost clear boundaries, have become less radical, because it is already difficult to say whether conservatives are or, on the contrary, supporters of change. Political current can simultaneously believe that the state should have social life and economics, as it is characteristic of the right currents. But if this influence is used by the authorities on typically "left" goals - ensuring equality and guaranteeing social protection.

A good example is very close. At the moment it is rather difficult to determine who are right-wing and left-wingers in Ukraine - at least from the point of view of classical interpretation of terms.

Practical difficulties of classification

Supporters of the People's Democratic Republic and the People's Republic of Poland position themselves as leftist parties. But their ideas lie more in the plane of the right. After all, the main stumbling block is the unconstitutional change of power in the republic, and it is the "separatists" who do not accept these changes. Their political platform is absolutely conservative.

It is also difficult to understand who are the right-wing radicals in Ukraine. Because of the traditional conservatism in the current there is nothing left. The "right sector" is not so much the definition of position as the name. This nationally oriented party took an active part in changing the political system in 2013, although, by definition, this is the lot of the left parties.

Obviously, in this case terms are used not in the classical international understanding of "conservatives and innovators", but specific, formed by local traditions. The left is communist, the right is nationalist. It is unlikely that with such a wide range of interpretations these terms can be considered correct.