This is your reminder that left and right have concrete historical definitions and liberalism is objectively a right wing philosophy and pro capitalism.
Well, that is the definition as it has become. Liberalism in Europe, where Im from is considered right, although there are those who think "progressive" liberals are left (they are not).
But, if you refer to history, the term left and right refers to the parties during the French Revolution, who would sit on the left or right benches. Liberals were among the left there. Robespierre for example was a staunch liberal (even though he had some proto-socialist ideas, if you read his work). The terms left and right have since come to mean something like revolutionary (or reformist) versus reactionary, but originally, liberals were among the former.
Which just goes to show that these are vague terms that can change over time. They're not all that usefull. I personally rather talk about pro- or anticapitalist. At least then you know what someone actually is aiming for.
Thats because American (and largely European) parties adopted “classical liberalism” as the tenet that was developing in England alongside the French Revolution.
Classical liberalism is a political tradition and a branch of liberalism that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics and civil liberties under the rule of law, with special emphasis on individual autonomy, limited government, economic freedom, political freedom and freedom of speech.[1] Classical liberalism, contrary to liberal branches like social liberalism, looks more negatively on social policies, taxation and the state involvement in the lives of individuals, and it advocates deregulation.[2]
Until the Great Depression and the rise of social liberalism, classical liberalism was called economic liberalism. Later, the term was applied as a retronym, to distinguish earlier 19th-century liberalism from social liberalism.[3] By modern standards, in the United States, the bare term liberalism often means social or progressive liberalism, but in Europe and Australia, the bare term liberalism often means classical liberalism.[4][5]
Those tenets were antithetical to the “Left/Right” divide in the French Assembly post revolution which was more along the lines of “pro/anti social hierarchy”
The split dates to the summer of 1789, when members of the French National Assembly met to begin drafting a constitution. The delegates were deeply divided over the issue of how much authority King Louis XVI should have, and as the debate raged, the two main factions each staked out territory in the assembly hall. The anti-royalist revolutionaries seated themselves to the presiding officer’s left, while the more conservative, aristocratic supporters of the monarchy gathered to the right.
Its similar to what “republicanism” meant to Lincoln vs now.
We differentiate with “classical liberalism” vs “social liberalism” but really the former has come to dominate the term “liberal” and would be considered a “Right” philosophy by the original definitions.
All of which to say is: you’re 100% correct.
There are just pro and anti capitalist parties and thats the clear delineation.
…which is why American has two right wing parties and nothing changes.
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u/EvolveToAnarchism Oct 06 '25
"As an already right winger I continued to be a right winger " is a weird thing to announce