Political spectrum

From RationalWiki
(Difference between revisions)
Jump to: navigation, search
(bye bye red, bye bye happienss)
m (Other measures)
Line 27: Line 27:
  
 
==Other measures==
 
==Other measures==
[[Image:Compass.png|thumb|left|250px|<center>'''The political compass'''</center>]]
+
[[Image:Compass.png|thumb|left|250px|<center>'''The [[Political Compass|political compass]]'''</center>]]
 
[[Image:Nolan chart.png|thumb|right|<center>'''The Nolan Chart'''</center>]]
 
[[Image:Nolan chart.png|thumb|right|<center>'''The Nolan Chart'''</center>]]
 
Another problem with the left-to-right spectrum is that there are some political positions which do not fit into it.  For example, [[libertarianism]] upholds both personal liberties (traditionally left wing) and unrestrained economic freedom (traditionally right wing).
 
Another problem with the left-to-right spectrum is that there are some political positions which do not fit into it.  For example, [[libertarianism]] upholds both personal liberties (traditionally left wing) and unrestrained economic freedom (traditionally right wing).
Line 33: Line 33:
 
The full variety of opinions can be better represented by two-dimensional diagrams where the (economic) left-to-right spectrum is balanced with another (social) axis between authoritarianism and individualism, both of which can be either left and right wing.  The [[Nolan Chart]] is an example of this kind of diagram.
 
The full variety of opinions can be better represented by two-dimensional diagrams where the (economic) left-to-right spectrum is balanced with another (social) axis between authoritarianism and individualism, both of which can be either left and right wing.  The [[Nolan Chart]] is an example of this kind of diagram.
  
Another common chart is the "political compass", where political opinions can be plotted anywhere in a square grid based on the two axes.
+
Another common chart is the "[[Political Compass|political compass]]", where political opinions can be plotted anywhere in a square grid based on the two axes.
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==

Revision as of 06:07, 21 March 2009

Bouncywikilogo.gif
There is a broader, perhaps slightly less biased, article on Wikipedia about Political spectrum

The political spectrum is a concept for representing different politican stances in relation to one another.

At its most basic, the political spectrum consists of a line or continuum from left to right, with varying shades of opinion in between.

Contents

Left wing and right wing

The terms "left wing" and "right wing" originated in the years following the French Revolution of 1789, when the nobility were seated on the right side in parliament meeting, and representatives of the liberal bourgeoisie sat on the left. Thus the "right wing" is associated with maintaining the status quo and protecting the interests of the wealthy. The left wing" is associated with demanding progress and equality, although the extent can vary from moderate liberals, who seek change through economic reform, while retaining capitalism, to socialists, who advocate the destruction of capitalism, and collective ownership of the means of production.

An example of a simple left-to-right spectrum, along with examples of ideologies and where they would fit, would look something like this:


Communism ----- Social Democracy ----- Liberalism ----- Centrism ----- Conservatism ----- Ultra-Conservatism ----- Authoritarianism


There are several problems with the left-to-right spectrum. One is that the uses and definitions of the terms vary so much between different cultures and contexts, since they are dependent on the political and economic status quo. For example, in an totalitarian country such as the USSR, anti-capitalist supporters have sometimes been regarded as right wing and proponents of free market capitalism regarded as left wing, the opposite to how these are seen in a capitalist country such as the US.[1] Also, the left-right spectrum disregards positions on social freedoms, and thus a libertarian socialist and a totalitarian would be in the same area.

The terms "leftism" and "rightism", as used on talk radio in the United States, generally refer to political extremists, whereas words such as "left-leaning", "left of centre" or "right of centre" denote more moderate positions. However, these meanings can change through misunderstandings or misuse of the terms to create straw men. The terms are becoming increasingly irrelevant due to their vagueness and frequently negative connotations.

Leftism

As with "left wing", the meanings of leftism and rightism vary between different countries. "Leftist" is widely used in United States politics to refer to socialism and anti-capitalist ideologies, although it is also often mistakenly applied to liberals, which can cause confusion and resentment, since there is a vast difference between the two groups. For anyone who studies politics with rigor, the conflation of "leftist" and "liberal" is truly infuriating. The American right wing talking-point machine refers to anyone "left of center-right" (e.g. Hillary Clinton, Al Franken), as a "far left" politician or pundit, further confusing political discourse.

Some leftists wish to overthrow capitalism, and believe that 'bourgeois democracy' is a sham, designed only to keep the rich in their places of privilege, while others believe in achieving a socialist society through democratic means. There are many different forms of leftism, as reflected in such terms as Marxist, Marxist-Leninist, Stalinist, Trotskyite, neo-Trostkyite, Maoist, democratic socialist, libertarian socialist (anarchist), De Leonist, council communist, guild socialist, etc., not to mention various modern and postmodern theoretical schools that seem to exist mainly in academic circles, such as deconstructionism, left- or post-feminism, Critical Theory, and the Frankfurt School. Many of these groups have a fierce rivalry with each other, such as the Marxist-Leninists with libertarian socialists, and the Stalinists and Maoists with just about everybody else.

The term "rightism" is rarely used, but tends to refer to a form of extreme conservatism that seeks to do away with democratic politics entirely. In the past, most "rightist" groups either sought a restoration of a previous monarchy, or the creation of a fascist or authoritarian regime to "undo the chaos of democracy". Because the United States has never had a monarch or a totalitarian movement, true rightist groups in that country have been relatively few, though the US government has helped fascists such as Pinochet come into power. In recent years, traditional rightism has been on the wane in most of the world.

Another common component of rightism, however, has not waned: extreme nationalism. Most rightist groups try to force out all immigrants and minorities. It is possible that in modern rightism this form of nationalism is the only defining characteristic.

Other measures

The Nolan Chart

Another problem with the left-to-right spectrum is that there are some political positions which do not fit into it. For example, libertarianism upholds both personal liberties (traditionally left wing) and unrestrained economic freedom (traditionally right wing).

The full variety of opinions can be better represented by two-dimensional diagrams where the (economic) left-to-right spectrum is balanced with another (social) axis between authoritarianism and individualism, both of which can be either left and right wing. The Nolan Chart is an example of this kind of diagram.

Another common chart is the "political compass", where political opinions can be plotted anywhere in a square grid based on the two axes.

See also

Footnotes

Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Community
Tools
support