Rightism

Right-wing demonstrators displaying fascist, libertarian, and other reactionary symbols during the Unite the Right rally.

Rightism is a broad spectrum of political thought which is in support of the status quo in society. This usually entails support for autocratic or oligarchic governmental systems, reactionary and discriminatory positions towards marginalized demographics, disdain for the exploited classes, xenophobia, and rejection of societal progress. Under capitalism, the most prominent right-wing ideologies include liberalism, fascism, monarchism, and libertarianism.

Modern rightists are almost universally opposed to socialism, communism, and workers' movements in general, making them inherently opposed to left-wing ideology and thus counter-revolutionary.

Etymology

Much like the origins of left-wing, right-wing is derived from the seating arrangement in the parliament of France during its revolutionary period. The more conservative, reactionary members of parliament would be seated on the right-side, opposite to the progressives and radicals on the left-side.

Manifestations

Rightism, in its current form being the ideology of the capitalist ruling class, takes on many different forms depending on the ebbs and flows of the capitalist system over the course of decades.

Liberalism

Main article: Liberalism

Liberalism is a political and economic ideology which seeks to ensure bourgeois property relations and political rights within the framework of the nominally democratic system, known as bourgeois or liberal democracy. Liberalism emerged during the revolutions of the 18^th and 19^th centuries which ended the feudal absolute monarchies. Liberalism, now in the present largely in the form of neo-liberalism, is one of the major ruling ideologies within capitalist states.

Social democracy

Main article: Social democracy

Social democracy is a variant of liberalism which which seeks the preservation of private ownership and the capitalist system through gradual, momentary socioeconomic reforms directed at improving living and labor conditions for the working class. Social democracy serves a counter-revolutionary role in that it divides working class movements, stagnates their methods of struggle and goals to mere electorialism and reforms in the framework of the bourgeois system, and propagates opposition towards revolution and communism. Social democracy has often been a core element in the rise of fascist movements, both being mechanisms to maintain capitalism in times of crisis and socialist revolution.

Fascism

Main article: Fascism

Fascism is a reactionary political movement which seeks the openly terroristic dictatorship of capital against working class and socialist movements and the abolition of the liberal system of bourgeois democracy and its nominal freedoms while still preserving the capitalist system. The common characteristics of fascism include corporatism, ultra-nationalism, anti-communism, militarism, racism, reactionism, and chauvinism. The most well-known forms of fascism in the 20th century include Nazism, Italian fascism, Shōwa statism, Francoism, and Salazarism.

Libertarianism

Main article: Right-wing libertarianism

Right-wing libertarianism is a reactionary tendency popular among the petite bourgeoisie in various countries. It seeks the reversal of the excesses of modern monopoly capitalism and its replacement with small proprietorship and production. In practice, libertarians oppose even fundamental working class rights and labor standards while heavily siding in favor of capitalist private property.

See also

• Reactionism
• Conservatism