Right-wing Politics

Right-wing Politics

In politics, right-wing describes an outlook or specific position that accepts or supports social hierarchy or social inequality. Social hierarchy and social inequality is viewed by those affiliated with the Right as either inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, whether it arises through traditional social differences or from competition in market economies. It typically accepts or justifies this position on the basis of natural law or tradition.

The political terms Right and Left were coined during the French Revolution (1789–99), and referred to where politicians sat in the French parliament; those who sat to the right of the chair of the parliamentary president were broadly supportive of the institutions of the monarchist Ancien Régime. The original Right in France was formed as a reaction against the Left, it comprised those politicians supporting hierarchy, tradition, and clericalism. The use of the expression la droite (the right) became prominent in France after the restoration of the monarchy in 1815, when le droit was applied to describe the Ultra-royalists. In English-speaking countries it was not until the 20th century that people applied the terms "right" and "left" to their own politics.

Although the term originally designated traditional conservatives and reactionaries, the usage of “right-wing” has been extended to describe liberal conservatives, classical liberals, libertarian conservatives, Christian democrats, and nationalists. The left, right, and center are often associated with socialism, conservatism, and liberalism respectively, in varying degrees. Some historians and social scientists seek to reduce political beliefs to class, with left, right, and center politicians representing the working, upper or middle classes. Others draw attention to the role which religious, ethnic, and regional differences play in democratic politics.