Horseshoe theory
The horseshoe theory in political science asserts that the far left and the far right, rather than being at opposite and opposing ends of a linear political continuum, in fact closely resemble one another, much like the ends of a horseshoe. The theory is attributed to French writer Jean-Pierre Faye.[1]
Horseshoe theory competes with the conventional linear left-right continuum system as well as the various multidimensional systems. Proponents of the theory point to alleged similarities between the extreme left and the extreme right.
Origin of the term
The earliest use of the term in political theory appears to be from Jean-Pierre Faye's 2002 book Le Siècle des idéologies.[2] Others have attributed the theory to Seymour Martin Lipset, Daniel Bell and the 'pluralist school'.[3]
Modern uses
In 2006 the term was used when comparing an alleged resurgent hostility towards Jews, new antisemitism, from both the far left and the far right.[4]
In a 2008 essay Josef Joffe, a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank,[5] wrote
Will globalization survive the gloom? The creeping revolt against globalization actually preceded the Crash of '08. Everywhere in the West, populism began to show its angry face at mid-decade. The two most dramatic instances were Germany and Austria, where populist parties scored big with a message of isolationism, protectionism and redistribution. In Germany, it was left-wing populism ("Die Linke"); in Austria it was a bunch of right-wing parties that garnered almost 30% in the 2008 election. Left and right together illustrated once more the "horseshoe" theory of modern politics: As the iron is bent backward, the two extremes almost touch.[6]
See also
- Argument to moderation
- Blair's Law
- Comparison of Nazism and Stalinism
- Left–right politics
- Nolan Chart
- Open–closed political spectrum
- Political spectrum
References
- ^ Encel, Frédéric; Thual, François (2004-11-13). "United States-Israel: A friendship that needs to be demystified". Le Figaro. Paris. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
Jean-Pierre Faye's famous horseshoe theory (according to which extremes meet) finds verification here more than in other places, and the two states of delirium often mingle and meet, unfortunately spreading beyond these extremist circles. But contrary to the legend deliberately maintained and/or the commonplace believed in good faith, Israel and the United States have not always been allies; on several occasions their relations have even been strained.
- ^ "Le Siècle des idéologies". Pocket. 2008-12-22.
- ^ "Challenging Centrist/Extremist Theory". Publiceye.org. 2008.
- ^ Fleischer, Tzvi (31 October 2006). "The Political Horseshoe again". Australia/Israel Review. AIJAC. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
I think Mr. Loewenstein has done a good job demonstrating why many people believe, as the "political horseshoe" theory states, that there is a lot more common ground between the far left, where Loewenstein dwells politically, and the far right views of someone like Betty Luks than people on the left would care to admit.
- ^ "Josef Joffe Distinguished Visiting Fellow".
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "New Year's Essay 2009". Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. 2008-12-22.