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The Political Spectrum in Parties and Issue Positions of Left and Right Parties |
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Parties of the Left The left of the political spectrum in Europe ranges from "terrorist left" (not identified as political parties) through communist, ecological, socialist, and social democratic parties. The "terrorist left" was predominantly active in the 60s, 70s and early 80s (the Red Brigades in Italy, for example). Communist parties developed in Europe after the Russian Revolution although they were often banned by Fascist parties in the 20s through the 40s and 50s. They often went "underground" to survive. Now they generally eschew revolutionary rhetoric and compete in elections. Of the countries of western Europe, Italy, Portugal, France, and Greece tend to have the strongest communist parties. Socialist parties are much stronger than communist parties in Europe, often garnering nearly half of the vote in countries such as Austria and Sweden. When both socialist and social democratic parties exist in any country, the socialists are usually further to the left on most issues than the social democrats. Both are committed to a more equitable distribution of resources in the society and see free markets as inherently expanding the gap between rich and poor. As a result they tend to argue for more state intervention (the extent of the intervention is often a key difference between socialist and social democratic parties. ( Differences range from state ownership vs. intervention through tax laws and social programs.) Ecological parties are recent additions to the European
scene and are often most successful in "advanced" or
"post-industrial" societies. (Remember the "materialist/
post-materialist cleavage???).
Parties of the Right The right of the political spectrum ranges all the way from Far Right to secular conservatives and Christian democrats. Conservatives and Christian democrats general believe in the preservation of the existing order in society, individualism (often guided), and have a preference for free markets. The emphasis on a "natural order" in the society (an elite) often allows conservative and Christian democratic parties to emphasize individualism and free markets less than radical/liberal parties. They are usually opposed to changes (such as market intervention, social welfare, etc.) which they feel upset the "natural order" of the society. While right-wing extremist parties have existed for a long time in Europe and was often directed against Jews and "gypsies", recent events during the past few decades have generally encouraged the growth of right-wing extremist parties in Europe. These events include: immigration and economic instability. In some countries, which needed extra workers in the 60s and early 70s but saw economic downturns in the 90s through today, most right-wing extremism is directed against foreign workers (Pakistanis and Indians in Britain, Turks in Germany, and North Africans in France).
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