Right-wing politics

:Right wing is also a term used in several sports; see winger (sport).

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In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the Right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. The term comes originally from the legislative seating arrangement during the French Revolution, when monarchists who supported the Ancien Régime were commonly referred to as rightists because they sat on the right side of successive legislative assemblies.

Related Topics:
Politics - Political spectrum - Left-wing politics - French Revolution - Monarchists - Ancien Régime

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As this original reference became obsolete, the meaning of the term has changed as appropriate to the spectrum of ideas and stances being compared, and the point of view of the speaker. In recent times, the term almost always includes some forms of conservatism and Christian democracy, and usually includes those forms of liberalism that emphasize the free market more than egalitarianism in wealth; the latter has been true since socialism became associated with the left wing.

Related Topics:
Conservatism - Christian democracy - Liberalism - Free market - Egalitarianism

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It is often also applied to authoritarian ideologies such as fascism, although some totalitarian ideologies such as Stalinism are generally considered left-wing due to their economic policies. Some consider it to include libertarianism, though most libertarians conceive of an additional spectrum (libertarianism-totalitarianism) upon which they place themselves which intersects the left-right political spectrum and places them 90 degrees away from traditional left and right, much as many anarchists (including "libertarian socialists") avoid placing themselves on the spectrum.

Related Topics:
Authoritarian - Fascism - Totalitarian - Stalinism - Libertarianism - Left-right - Political spectrum

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See political spectrum and left-right politics for further discussion of this kind of classification.

Related Topics:
Political spectrum - Left-right politics

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