SobieskiSavedEurope
Gold Member
- Banned
- #1
If you scroll down to the bottom of my post you'll notice it says the first Left-Wingers were Capitalists.
This just kind of proves the whole political spectrum has been turned upside down in the U.S.A
Why are Democrats ‘Left’ and Republicans ‘Right’? The Surprising History of Political Affiliations
As noted above, “left” and “right” were not used to refer to political ideologies but only to the seating plan in the legislature, but after a while these seating plans began to define the spectrum of the representatives’ political ideologies, classifying them in stark opposition to each other. Those terms gradually replaced the terms “reds” and “the reaction” or “republicans” and “conservatives” that were commonly used until that time. In a first reaction, the Right opposed the seating arrangement because they believed that deputies should support private or general interests but should not form factions or political parties. The Right mostly denied that the left–right spectrum was meaningful because they saw it as artificial and damaging to unity. The Left, however, seeking to change society, promoted the distinction.
However, it was during the establishment of the Third Republic in 1871 that the political parties formally adopted the terms “left” and “right” to define their political beliefs.
The Representatives of Foreign Powers Coming to Greet the Republic as a Sign of Peace ( public domain )
The original “Left” mainly represented the interests of the bourgeoisie and supported republicanism, secularism, and civil liberties. The rising capitalist class typically represented much of the working class, poor peasantry, and the unemployed. Their political interests in the French Revolution lied in opposition to the aristocracy, and so they found themselves allied with the early capitalists. The Left fought for the equality of advantage or opportunity, in support of the claims of the disadvantaged. The size of the working class increased as capitalism expanded, and began to find expression partly in trade unionist, socialist, anarchist, and communist politics, rather than being confined to the capitalist policies expressed by the original ”Left.”
This just kind of proves the whole political spectrum has been turned upside down in the U.S.A
Why are Democrats ‘Left’ and Republicans ‘Right’? The Surprising History of Political Affiliations
As noted above, “left” and “right” were not used to refer to political ideologies but only to the seating plan in the legislature, but after a while these seating plans began to define the spectrum of the representatives’ political ideologies, classifying them in stark opposition to each other. Those terms gradually replaced the terms “reds” and “the reaction” or “republicans” and “conservatives” that were commonly used until that time. In a first reaction, the Right opposed the seating arrangement because they believed that deputies should support private or general interests but should not form factions or political parties. The Right mostly denied that the left–right spectrum was meaningful because they saw it as artificial and damaging to unity. The Left, however, seeking to change society, promoted the distinction.
However, it was during the establishment of the Third Republic in 1871 that the political parties formally adopted the terms “left” and “right” to define their political beliefs.
The Representatives of Foreign Powers Coming to Greet the Republic as a Sign of Peace ( public domain )
The original “Left” mainly represented the interests of the bourgeoisie and supported republicanism, secularism, and civil liberties. The rising capitalist class typically represented much of the working class, poor peasantry, and the unemployed. Their political interests in the French Revolution lied in opposition to the aristocracy, and so they found themselves allied with the early capitalists. The Left fought for the equality of advantage or opportunity, in support of the claims of the disadvantaged. The size of the working class increased as capitalism expanded, and began to find expression partly in trade unionist, socialist, anarchist, and communist politics, rather than being confined to the capitalist policies expressed by the original ”Left.”
