First, a word of caution about the use of “right-wing” and “left-wing” as historical terms. Their meaning has evolved over time, and it’s consequently difficult to answer any question that’s couched in terms such as “has there ever been a left-wing X in history?”

As you may know, the terminology of a right-left split in politics originates with the French Revolution. During the debates over the drafting of a constitution that began in 1789, delegates who supported a “balanced” constitution which would have given entrenched power to the King and two the “estates” of Church and aristocracy sat on the right of the National Assembly; those who wanted a unicameral representative democracy – in which the only estate that mattered was the “Third Estate” of the commoners – sat on the left.

So in its original formulation, “leftist” politics were based on a support for liberalism and democracy; while “rightists” tended to favour more power for the monarchy, aristocracy, and an established church. This divide set the terms of political debates from the French Revolution well into the 19th century; the Revolutions of 1848 essentially pitted a democratic left against a monarchist/aristocratic right.

This first incarnation of the “left” ultimately prevailed – few would argue today that the monarchy or the aristocracy should play a greater role in politics. But at the same time, as a result of the turbulent social change caused by industrialization, a second right-left split emerged in the middle of the 19th century. This split was based on economic rather than constitutional matters: those on the “right” supported laissez-faire economics and the ascendancy of the business class, whereas the “left” supported the working class, labour unions and – among more radical figures – socialism and communism. (And, by the 20th century, they also supported state regulation of business and the development of a welfare state.)

Since the 1960s, one might add another right-left split over questions of identity politics: those on the left have been more supportive of feminism, anti-racism, and anti-colonial movements; while the right has tended to support the “traditional” family and gender roles, and has also expressed opposition to state intervention to correct racial injustice.

So when you say “left-wing” as a concept that spans historical periods, there is a bit of confusion as to which “left” you mean. (continued below)