In politics, right-wing historically referred to a society run by natural law or tradition. It is generally synonymous with politically conservative beliefs, including economic and social conservatism, and support for a strong military and an active foreign policy. The term "right-wing," as well as "left-wing," came from the French Revolution, a reference to where people sat in parliament, although there was also a theory where the terms originated from the Book of Revelations relating to Jesus transfiguring those on his left side and right side into goats and sheep, respectively.
The term Rightist refers to someone on the 'right' side of the political spectrum. Politics on the 'right' usually imply taking positions in favor of the traditional system of a society, including its traditional values and its traditional ruling institutions. Compare: leftist. Following the left-right political spectrum, a "Right-Winger" could be referred to as anyone who favors having marginally more economic than personal liberties.
It is widely accepted, however, that there is not just one dimension of political thought, so that people can unambiguously be classified as 'right' or 'left'. Nonetheless, the political spectrum theory still has wide currency.
- 1 Conservatism
- 2 Effect of the right-wing policies of the 20th century politicians Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher on the USA and UK
- 3 Rise of right-wing politics in the 21st century in the USA, Europe and Australia
- 4 Emergence of the alt-right
- 5 Decline of leftism
- 6 American culture war, demographics and expected tipping point after 2020
- 7 See also
- 8 References
See also: Conservative
A conservative is someone who rises above his personal self-interest and promotes moral and economic values beneficial to all. A conservative is willing to learn and advocate the insights of economics and the logic of the Bible for the benefit of everyone else. A conservative favors conserving value by not giving handouts to anyone who does not really need them.
A conservative typically adheres to principles of personal responsibility, moral values, and limited government, agreeing with George Washington's Farewell Address that "religion and morality are indispensable supports" to political prosperity.
Phil Crane, the leading conservative congressman in the House from 1969 to 2005, urged people to make the world a better place than where they found it, and quoted frequently from the Bible in pursuit of that goal.
Effect of the right-wing policies of the 20th century politicians Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher on the USA and UK
Ronald Reagan was president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Reagan was a movement conservative who succeeded in moving the nation to the right in terms of reducing federal regulation and lowering taxes. He promoted Individual Liberty and the conviction that government was the problem and private enterprise the solution. He cut taxes but despite his proposals, spending and the federal deficit went up. After a short sharp recession early in his first term, the economy was strong by 1984. Proclaiming "It's Morning Again in America", Reagan carried 49 of 50 states to win reelection. He moved the Supreme Court and the federal courts to the right with his appointments.
Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, and the first woman to hold the position. Her leadership permanently moved Britain to the right and reshaped the nation's political environment to stress economic growth and international competitiveness. The Labour Party in response under Tony Blair jettisoned their old leftist ideas and followed Thatcher-lite programs. Despite being in power for 13 years from 1997 to 2010 Labour did not remove any of Thatcher's anti-union legislation and has refused to even consider doing so.
Rise of right-wing politics in the 21st century in the USA, Europe and Australia
- See also: Right-wing populism
Rise of 21st century right-wing politics in Western World Anglosphere
In the 2010 decade period, so far there has been a marked decline of leftism in the United States and Britain. In the United States, Democrats lost 1,042 seats—including U.S. House, Senate, state governorship, and state legislative seats—during Barack Obama's eight years in office.
The 2016 election of President Donald Trump was a significant blow to American leftism as the Trump administration has pursued right-wing/conservative policies. The U.S economy has seen significant growth since Trump's election (see also: Donald Trump achievements).
21st century rise of right-wing parties in Europe
In the 21st century, right-wing nationalist parties have been growing in Europe due to: the Eurozone Crisis; Euroskepticism (backlash to the increasingly centralized European Union and its globalist/open border policies); high youth unemployment in some European countries; low economic growth in various European countries; backlash to immigration and the European migrant crisis; a growing Islamic terrorism problem and growing levels of government debt in various European countries.
The Guardian reported in 2015 that merely a one-third of European countries are ruled by center-left governments.
In 2017, the New York Times reported that Italy is "one of the last major center-left governments standing in Europe." In November 2017, the Irish Times reported that "Italy takes sharp turn right ahead of general election",
In August 2017, the Express reported:
|“|| Alessandra Ghisleri revealed a collection of right-wing parties now enjoy enough total support to win next year’s Italian election as a coalition.
She revealed the largest left-wing party, on the other hand, was struggling to reach 30 per cent approval, with the second-largest left-wing party in Italy on 29 per cent.
Emergence of the alt-right
See also: Alt-right
The Alt-right, or alternative right, is an emerging faction of the right-wing that opposes unrestrained multiculturalism, un-"skilled" immigration, and globalization. The alt-right has emerged as one of the central opponents of the Establishment. Although originally intended to refer to nationalist and anti-establishment conservatives, liberals/leftists have used the term and have used it to describe white supremecists and neo-Nazis.
The alt-right movement's central theme is as follows:
|“||The alt-right is not defined by any particular school of thought, but by the neoliberal school of thought it rejects. The alt-right, in the simplest terms, is an unapologetic purging of liberal idiocy.||”|
Decline of leftism
See also: Decline of leftism
In the latter part of 20th century and beyond, there has been a trend of secular leftism losing favor in the world (see: Decline of leftism).
American culture war, demographics and expected tipping point after 2020
The Birkbeck College, University of London professor Eric Kaufmann wrote in his 2010 book Shall the Righteous Inherit the Earth? concerning America:
|“||High evangelical fertility rates more than compensated for losses to liberal Protestant sects during the twentieth century. In recent decades, white secularism has surged, but Latino and Asian religious immigration has taken up the slack, keeping secularism at bay. Across denominations, the fertility advantage of religious fundamentalists of all colours is significant and growing. After 2020, their demographic weight will begin to tip the balance in the culture wars towards the conservative side, ramping up pressure on hot-button issues such as abortion. By the end of the century, three quarters of America may be pro-life. Their activism will leap over the borders of the 'Redeemer Nation' to evangelize the world. Already, the rise of the World Congress of Families has launched a global religious right, its arms stretching across the bloody lines of the War on Terror to embrace the entire Abrahamic family.||”|
- United States Department of State George Washington, farewell address, 1796
- Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary has the following definition of conservative: "tending or disposed to maintain existing views, conditions, or institutions : TRADITIONAL" Therefore, a conservative Christian would be one that tends to adhere to the morally sound doctrines of the early Christianity and Judeo-Christian values.
- The Left is collapsing everywhere, Washington Examiner, February 2017
- The collapse of the political Left, Washington Examiner by Michael Barone, Dec 7, 2016
- America’s Dean of Politics Says Left is Collapsing, 2016
- Despite Thomas Piketty, Voters Reject Economic Redistribution, Townhall, 2014
- Is the political Left collapsing?
- Democrats lost over 1,000 seats under Obama. Fox News. December 27, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- Graeme Davison et al. eds., The Oxford Companion to Australian History (2nd ed. 2001) p 148
- The rise of right-wing populism in Europe
- Only a third of the EU is governed by the centre-left, The Guardian, 2015
- Italy, Bracing for Electoral Season of Fake News, Demands Facebook’s Help, New York Times, 2017
- "Italy takes sharp turn right ahead of general election", Irish Times, 2017
- ‘The Left is COLLAPSING!’ Right-wing parties SURGE in Italy as EU faces rise of populism, The Express, August of 2017
- What is the Alt-Right?, AngryWhiteDude.com, April 12, 2016
- Why is the year 2020 a key year for Christian creationists and pro-lifers?
- Why is the year 2020 a key year for Christian creationists and pro-lifers?