The political terms Left and Right were coined during the French Revolution (1789–1799), referring to the seating arrangement in the Estates General: those who sat on the left generally opposed the monarchy and supported the revolution, including the creation of a republic and secularization,[5] while those on the right were supportive of the traditional institutions of the Old Regime. Use of the term Left became more prominent after the restoration of the French monarchy in 1815 when it was applied to the Independents.[6] The term was later applied to a number of movements, especially republicanism during the French Revolution, socialism,[7] communism, and anarchism.[8] Beginning in the last half of the Twentieth Century, the phrase left-wing has been used to describe an ever widening family of movements,[9] including the civil rights movement, anti-war movements, and environmental movements,[10][11] and finally being extended to entire parties, including the Democratic Party in the United States and the Labour Party in the United Kingdom.[12][13][14] In two party systems, the terms left and right are now sometimes used as labels for the two parties, with one party designated as the left and the other right, even when neither party is left-wing in the original sense of being opposed to the ruling class.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:44:25 +0000
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