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.
Contents
Origin of the term[edit]
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[edit]
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]
Criticisms[edit]
The Horseshoe theory has been criticized not just by the extremists on both ends of the political spectrum who oppose being grouped with those they consider to be their polar opposites but also by those who see Horseshoe theory as oversimplifying political ideologies of ignoring fundamental differences between ideologies.
Simon Choat, a senior lecturer in political theory at Kingston University, criticizes horseshoe theory from a leftist perspective. Choat argues that far left and far right ideologies only share similarities in the vaguest sense in that they both oppose the liberal-democratic status quo, but the two sides both have very different reasons and very different aims for doing so. Choat uses the issue of globalization as an example. Both the far left and the far right attack neoliberal globalization and its elites, but both have conflicting views on who those elites are and conflicting reasons for attacking such elites:
For the left, the problem with globalisation is that it has given free rein to capital and entrenched economic and political inequality. The solution is therefore to place constraints on capital and/or to allow people to have the same freedom of movement currently given to capital, goods, and services. They want an alternative globalisation. For the right, the problem with globalisation is that it has corroded supposedly traditional and homogeneous cultural and ethnic communities – their solution is therefore to reverse globalisation, protecting national capital and placing further restrictions on the movement of people.[7]
Choat also argues that, although proponents of the horseshoe theory may cite examples of alleged history of collusion between fascists and communists, those on the far left usually oppose the rise of far right or fascist regimes in their countries. Instead, he argues, it has been centrists who have supported far right and fascist regimes that they prefer in power over socialist ones.[8]
Cultural references[edit]
- Horseshoe Theory is the title of a 2017 romantic comedy short film by Jonathan Daniel Brown in which an Islamic State Jihadist and a white supremacist who meet following a weapons deal over the internet and fall in love after discovering how much they share in common.
See also[edit]
- Argument to moderation
- Blair's Law
- Comparison of Nazism and Stalinism
- Left–right politics
- Nolan Chart
- Open–closed political spectrum
- Political spectrum
References[edit]
- ^ 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".
- ^ "New Year's Essay 2009". Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. 2008-12-22.
- ^ https://theconversation.com/horseshoe-theory-is-nonsense-the-far-right-and-far-left-have-little-in-common-77588
- ^ https://theconversation.com/horseshoe-theory-is-nonsense-the-far-right-and-far-left-have-little-in-common-77588
