Main article: Left-Right politics

Recently in history, political analysts and politicians divide politics into and politics, often also using the idea of center politics as a middle path of policy between the right and left. This classification is comparatively recent (it was not used by or, for instance), and dates from the era, when those members of the who opposed the sat on the left, while those who supported it sat on the right. The original meaning disappeared quickly.
A particularly influential event was the publication of the by and in 1848. The Manifesto suggested a course of action for a revolution to overthrow the society and abolish private property, in the belief that this would lead to a and society. The left would refer to people seeking
The meaning of left-wing and right-wing varies considerably between different countries and at different times, but generally speaking, it can be said that the right wing often values tradition and while the left wing often values According to, one of the major exponents of this distinction, the Left believes in attempting to eradicate social inequality, while the Right regards most social inequality as the result of ineradicable natural inequalities, and sees attempts to enforce social equality as utopian or authoritarian.

Some ideologies, notably Christian Democrac, claim to combine left and right wing politics; according to Geoffrey K. Roberts and Patricia Hogwood, "In terms of ideology, Christian Democracy has incorporated many of the views held by liberals, conservatives and socialists within a wider framework of moral and Christian principles." Movements which claim or formerly claimed to be above the left-right divide include in France, in Argentina, and in Mexico.