Right Wing vs Left Wing
You might have encountered terms such as right wing and left wing while reading newspapers, even if you are not particularly interested in politics. It can be confusing to understand the difference between these terms, but they are important in identifying political parties and politicians on a spectrum of ideologies and policies.
The phrases left wing and right wing were first used in France to differentiate between political parties based on their opposing ideologies. In fact, left and right wings are positions on a long political spectrum that help people identify the policies of a political party. It is even possible to have a left wing and a right wing inside a political party, with the left wing being seen as radical and reforming, and the right wing as conservative or reactionary. This system originated in France, where nobles sat to the right of the President, while commoners sat to the left.
Key Takeaways
- Left wing: Represents political ideologies such as liberalism, progressiveness, socialism, democracy, and communism. They favor power in the hands of the people at the grassroots level and believe in income equality.
- Right wing: Favors centralization of power, a strong central government, and conservatism. They want a strong government, but expect it to be smaller in scale to allow for more individual responsibility in society.
- In its extreme form, right wing represents Fascism, while left wing represents communism. The world was once divided between these two ideologies, with communism taking over half of the world and democracy taking roots in the other half.
What is Left Wing?
The left wing has long been associated with political ideologies representing liberalism, progressiveness, socialism, democracy, communism, and a few other isms. The left wing consists of parties and people who favor power in the hands of the people at the grassroots level. However, to achieve this freedom for the people, the left wing expects the government to intervene. The left wing also believes in income equality, expecting the government to impose high taxes on wealthy people and regulate businesses with more rules.
What is Right Wing?
For those who find political jargon confusing, the right wing simply refers to those who favor centralization of power. These are the parties and people who want a strong central government and are conservative by nature. They want a strong government but expect it to be smaller in scale to allow for more individual responsibility in society.
In the US, the Republicans are considered right wing as they are conservatives, while the Democrats belong to the left wing as they are considered liberals. Over time, the distinction between the right wing and the left wing has somewhat blurred.
What is the difference between Right Wing and Left Wing?
Right wing and left wing are political ideologies often portrayed as being opposing to each other.
- Definitions: Right wing consists of people and parties that are conservative and stand for the status quo. Left wing refers to political parties that are liberal in nature and stand for equality at all levels.
- Government Involvement: Right wing wants a strong government that is smaller in scale to allow space for more individual responsibility in society. Left wing wants the government to be involved in making the society a place of equal opportunities for everyone.
- Businesses: Right wing economy puts low taxes and fewer rules on businesses. Left wing has more laws and taxes regarding businesses.
- Government Spending: Right wing reduces government spending. Left wing expects the government to spend on social welfare, resulting in higher government spending.
- Income Equality: Right wing believes that those who can earn more than others should be free to do so. Left wing economy puts high taxes on the wealthy to create income equality.
