In that case, aren’t liberals really right wing and fascists really left wing? Well. This is where politics gets tricky. Economics are only one part of politics. There are social aspects, international aspects; things like housing and education to consider. I’m no expert on political science; this is all coming from my own interest and curiosity.
When looking at social policy, this deals with how the people are treated. Someone once explained to me that socialism isn’t just about economics, it’s also about how we treat people. With socialism come things like women's voting and property rights; welfare, a universal healthcare system, higher taxation for the rich, LGBT rights, secularism rather than theocracy, all things that intellectuals worked through during the 17thcentury Enlightenment. Socialism isn’t just about how the economy is run; it’s also about treating people fairly as equals rather than discriminating on the grounds of race, gender or class.
Hence why those on the lefts are traditionally known as ‘progressives.’ The meaning of the word ‘conserve’ is to keep the same. Conservatism (socially) is about maintaining the way things are. For example, I live in Britain which has historically been a very Christian-based country. Nowadays it’s pretty secular, if de facto not de jure. There are still churches everywhere but no one bothers about religion as much as they did a hundred or so years ago. Those that are religious take a more lax ‘liberal’ approach.
Let’s look at these words again. ‘Liberal.’ A liberal attitude means having tolerance for change. ‘Conservative.’ Being more resistant to change. I have a liberal attitude to clothing; I think how a person dresses is their choice and am not really bothered about fashion/lack thereof. On the other hand, I have a conservative attitude to my taste in music, as I mostly enjoy listening to the same artists that I consider ‘good’ within the same sorts of styles.
This is why if you take a political compass test, it will spread your views across libertarian, authoritarian, economic left and economic right. I’ve taken this test several times over the past five or so years, and I always end up around the same place – libertarian left. Stalin can be considered authoritarian-left (communist) because he advocated state ownership and a planned economy, as well as taking away individual liberties. The current Labour government (under Corbyn) is libertarian-left (social democratic) due to believing in a mixed economy of some state ownership and some business ownership, and also believing in individual freedom on the basis of things like race, gender, sexuality and social class. Thatcher’s government would be classed as authoritarian-right because she believed in laizze-faire economics but also had a strong conservative view on things like marriage, gay rights and immigration. Finally, the best example of libertarian-right is anarchism, whereby you have free economic trade and people independently ruling themselves with little state intervention. A famous libertarian-right wing philosopher is Ayn Rand.
(Noted: Rand was very anti-anarchism; anarchism can be said to be 'extreme libertarianism' whereas she was more moderate - I think).
Let's quickly look at the phrase 'far-right.' The Nazi Party were classed as far-right, yet they were a socialist party. So wouldn't they be far-left? 'Far-right' means economically free trade with social conservative views dictated by the state. It means being pro-nationalism rather than globalism. Economically, the Nazi Party were not right-wing. They were a socialist party. Part of Hitler's manifesto was 'land, work and bread'. The Nazis were supposed to be a 'people's party. They had a full-employment rate. How exactly was Hitler's Third Reich different from Stalin's USSR? Besides the fact that Hitler was killing Jews rather than his own people.
In practice, the Nazi Party operated under an authoritarian-left regime. Fascism: an authoritarian-nationalist regime that opposes all opposition, operates under a dictatorial one-party state, and has state-regulated economic policies. How is any of that right wing? Capitalist economics are the opposite of fascist. Laizze-faire capitalist economics emphasise free trade and business ownership (which I don't agree with because in practice it exploits the working class). So why are politicians like Thatcher and Trump described as fascist? In practice democratic liberal capitalism does not create a fascist state.
But let’s get back to this word. Liberty. What does it really mean? Well, individual freedom. The ability to decide. Being pro-choice, and not just in the case of abortion. Taking a liberal attitude means saying ‘I don’t want to smoke marijuana, but it isn’t my decision to say whether or not other people can or can’t.’ It means saying ‘everyone should have the opportunity.’ I believe in free education because I think everyone should have the right to educate themselves, especially in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. I believe in free healthcare because everyone has the right to live by way of their genes. Not everyone wants to take that hand. Someone may be suffering from a fatal illness and decide to kill themselves rather than getting help. But the offer was there.
Conservatism is more about standing on your own two feet. Looking out for yourself. The problem with this attitude is it is fine for the very wealthy, but not for the majority. Remember, the essence of conservatism is being resistant to change. Anti-abortion. Anti-gay marriage. Anti-marijuana or prostitution legalisation. Anti-male and female equality. Conservatism is about keeping things traditional. Keeping women in the kitchen and men in the office. Libertarianism gives women the choice; do you want to be in the kitchen or the office?
Please respond if I have gotten anything mixed up or if you disagree on anything. Or if you agree, that’s also great.