Left is the term used to describe a political, partisan and ideological position whose main objective is to defend the interests of social groups and egalitarianism.
From a political point of view, when it is said that a person is on the left, it means that he or she agrees and agrees with the ideological positions of this political spectrum.
What does the left stand for?
The political ideology of the left defends that the control made by the State, through its governments, is the solution for the existence of equality between citizens.
According to this idea, the State must control the functioning of various sectors of society, in addition to being responsible for providing education, health, work and other basic rights to the citizens.
Leftist ideology mainly defends the less favored social classes in society, that is, those that need more attention and public services.
Left groups are also known to support systems of social reform such as socialism and communism.
Origin of the Left in the Political Scene
The origin of the term “left”, as a political-ideological position, arose during the French Constituent Assemblies of the 18th century.
In these sessions, there was a clear separation between the bourgeois and conservative groups, who sat on the right side of the Assembly, as they did not like the participation of popular groups. People who belonged to the lower classes, and who were adherents of revolutionism, were on the left side of the room.
From this scenario, the term “left” came to symbolize the ideal of struggle for popular and workers' rights and the “right” became synonymous with conservatism and elitism.
left and right currently
Over time, the definitions of left and right were transformed and gained new interpretations. Currently, the definition of a political position is more complex than the old division between left and right, because variations of these concepts emerged, according to the political thoughts of each group.
In the current scenario, the variations, called the political spectrum, can range from far left, left, center left, center, center right, right to far right. This classification is also known as an ideological ruler.
The term left is also often used to refer to a party group that opposes the political party in power. Thus, right can often be the name given to party groups that support the political group that is in government.
In addition, other ramifications of left and right positions emerged, at different levels. Left parties, depending on their ideological variations, can include social democrats, democratic socialists, environmentalists and progressives. Authoritarians and egalitarians can be examples of far-left parties.
Right-wing parties usually involve conservatives, Christian Democrats, liberals and nationalists. Right-wing extremist groups defend dictatorialism, such as Nazism and Fascism, for example.
Ideological variations
There are also other specific political groups within the left ideology, such as the liberal left, which unites principles that belong to liberalism with those of leftist movements.
It is important to know that there may be variations between ideologies. Political parties may adopt, for example, some principles or philosophies that cannot be framed as being exclusively left-wing or right-wing.
Find out more about the meaning of Right.
Differences between left and right in politics
The left defends egalitarianism, the implementation of public policies and the struggle for popular, social and minority movements. The right, on the other hand, is usually classified as a defender of more individual freedom, religious preservation and preservation of ancient traditions.
See some differences:
| . | Left | Right |
|---|---|---|
| What do you stand for? | Egalitarianism / struggle for social movements and minorities. | Individual freedom / conservation of religious and family traditions. |
| role of the state | Obligation to ensure that all citizens have equal opportunities. | Individualism, each individual must be responsible for securing their opportunities. |
| Economy | High taxes for the rich / income equality / government investment in social programs. | Reduction in spending on the public sectors / reduction in taxes / reduction in business regulation. |
| Main parties in Brazil | PSB, PSOL, PT, PCdoB. | PP, DEM, PR, PSC. |
"Left caviar" and "Left"
"Left caviar" comes from the French expression caviar gauche. It is a pejorative expression that is used to refer to a person who identifies himself as on the left, but who lives a lifestyle classified as luxurious and capitalist.
Nowadays it is also common to use the term “left-wing” to refer to extreme left groups, considered "fanatics" by ideology and who make a more intense defense of issues related to change political and social.
Learn more about the meaning of Capitalism.
the left in Brazil
In Brazil, the ideology struggles between left and right groups intensified a lot from the period of the Military Dictatorship.
During this period, those who supported the dictatorship and the military regime were considered on the right, while the people who defended the end of the regime or the implantation of socialism were classified as of left.
Learn more about the meaning of Socialism and Liberalism.
