Left-wing and right-wing are terms used to classify political positions, ideologies, and parties based on their beliefs and values. The terms originated in the seating arrangements of the French National Assembly during the French Revolution, where those who sat on the left of the chair of the parliamentary president supported the revolution and a secular republic, and opposed the monarchy of the old regime. The people on the left were in favor of radical change, socialism, and republicanism, while those on the right supported the monarchy and opposed radical change.
The fundamental differences between left-wing and right-wing ideologies center around the rights of individuals versus the power of the government. Left-wing beliefs are liberal in that they believe society is best served with an expanded role for the government. Generally, the left-wing is characterized by an emphasis on ideas such as freedom, equality, fraternity, rights, progress, reform, and internationalism. Left-wing values include the belief in the power of human reason to achieve progress for the benefit of the human race, secularism, sovereignty exercised through the legislature, social justice, and mistrust of strong personal political leadership.
On the other hand, the right-wing is characterized by an emphasis on notions such as authority, hierarchy, order, duty, tradition, reaction, and nationalism. The right-wing believes in the established church both in itself and as an instrument of social cohesion, and they believe in the need for strong political leadership to minimize social and political divisions. To the left, this is seen as a selfish and reactionary opposition to social justice, a wish to impose doctrinaire socialism and class hatred.
In summary, left-wing and right-wing are political terms used to describe different political ideologies and beliefs. The left-wing is generally characterized by an emphasis on individual rights and an expanded role for the government, while the right-wing is characterized by an emphasis on authority, tradition, and strong political leadership.
