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What is the origin of "Left" and "Right" in ...

What is the origin of "Left" and "Right" in politics?


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The terms Left and Right have been used to refer to political affiliation since the early part of the French Revolutionary era. They originally referred to the seating arrangements in the various legislative bodies of France, specifically in the French Legislative Assembly of 1791, when the moderate royalist Feuillants sat on the right side of the chamber, while the radical Montagnards sat on the left.

This and much more about this subject can be found in the Wikipedia definition of left-right politics

Posted 2006-10-11T09:57:33Z
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The terms Left and Right started at the Franch Revolutionary time and was referred to the seating arranements in the legislative bodies of France.

 

 

Posted 2006-10-12T12:41:55Z
parav was invited by Yedda to answer this question.

 
41 helpful answers

right (adj.1)

Look up right at Dictionary.com

"morally correct," O.E. riht "just, good, fair, proper, fitting, straight," from P.Gmc. *rekhtaz (cf. O.H.G. reht, Ger. recht, O.N. rettr, Goth. raihts), from PIE base *reg- "move in a straight line," also "to rule, to lead straight, to put right" (see regal; cf. Gk. orektos "stretched out, upright;" L. rectus "straight, right;" O.Pers. rasta- "straight, right," ar?ta- "rectitude;" O.Ir. recht "law;" Welsh rhaith, Breton reiz "just, righteous, wise"). Cf. slang straight "honest, morally upright," and L. rectus "right," lit. "straight," Lith. teisus "right, true," lit. "straight." Gk. dikaios "just" (in the moral and legal sense) is from dike "custom." The noun sense of "just claim" was in O.E. and P.Gmc. As an emphatic, meaning "you are right," it is recorded from 1588; use as a question meaning "am I not right?" is from 1961. The phrase to rights "at once, straightway" is 1663, from sense "in a proper manner" (M.E.). The sense in right whale is "justly entitled to the name." Phrase right off the bat is 1914, earlier hot from the bat (1888), probably a baseball metaphor; right stuff "best human ingredients" is from 1848, popularized by Tom Wolfe's 1979 book about the first astronauts. Right on! as an exclamation of approval first recorded 1925 in black slang, popularized mid-1960s by Black Panther movement. Right of way is attested from 1768. right (adj.2) Look up right at Dictionary.com "opposite of left," 1125, riht, from O.E. riht, which did not have this sense but meant "good, proper, fitting, straight" (see right (adj.1) ). The notion is of the right hand as the "correct" hand. The O.E. word for this was swiþra, lit. "stronger." "The history of words for 'right' and 'left' shows that they were used primarily with reference to the hands" [Buck]. Cf. similar sense evolution in Du. recht, Ger. recht "right (not left)," from O.H.G. reht, which meant only "straight, just." The usual PIE root (*deks(i)-) is represented by Skt. daksina-, Gk. dexios, L. dexter (cf. O.Fr. destre, Sp. diestro, etc.), Ir. dess, Welsh deheu, Goth. taihswa, Lith. desinas, O.C.S. desnu, Rus. desnoj. Other derivations on a similar pattern to Eng. right are Fr. droit, from L. directus "straight;" Lith. labas, lit. "good;" and Slavic words (Boh. pravy, Pol. prawy, Rus. pravyj) from O.C.S. pravu, lit. "straight." The political sense of "conservative" is first recorded 1794 (adj.), 1825 (n.), a translation of Fr. Droit "the Right, Conservative Party" in the Fr. National Assembly (1789; see left). Right wing in political sense is first recorded 1905. Right hand, fig. for "indispensable person" is recorded from 1528; right-hand man first attested 1665. right (v.) Look up right at Dictionary.com O.E. rihtan "to straighten, rule, set up," from riht (adj.); see right (adj.1). Cf. O.N. retta "to straighten," Ger. richten, Goth. garaihtjan.

Posted 2008-04-05T18:26:46Z
 

Started long before the French Revolution.  In essence, left-right = good-bad, or right-wrong, moral-immoral, etc. Can be traced back prior to records and documents.  Current day professors will start at the French Revolution to aid in blinding the young.

 

 

Posted 2009-08-13T17:42:58Z
 
38 helpful answers

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, Establish Justice,; insure domestic Tranquility, to provide for the common defense, to promote the general Welare, and to Secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and to our Posterity, do ordain and establish the Constitution of the United States of America.

Pascal, in very simplistic terms, the right are those who are staunch Capitalists whether or not the middle or lower classes are hurting they, for some inexplicable reason support the right (old line GOP). The Democrats, on the other hand, have some compassion for the middle class and the lower classes, but that is not to say that they have to. But if you look at Senator Rockafella, with all his money, he is no Republican, but a staunch Democrat. For some reason he understands what it is to be without -- a home, food, doctor bills, hospital bills, and any other bills that the middle and lower classes cannot afford to pay. This is the reason that I have been a Democrat all of my life. My Grandfather, my father, my mother and my sibling, and I believe even my children are all Democrats. I guess once born into a political group so you remain. Michael Joel Held

Posted 2009-10-16T03:23:57Z
Michael Joel Held was invited by Yedda to answer this question.

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