You are quite wrong. The term "right wing" originated during the French Revolution, because the Montagnards took seats to the right of the legislative chamber, and the Jacobins took seats to the left. The Right represented those who preferred the English model of a democratization, keeping the King as the Head of State, but reserving most powers to the parliament, with the Prime Minister as head of government. The Left were the guillotine lovers, who insisted on rooting out disloyalty to the Republic and trying to despoil the clergy, and caused general bloodshed and chaos in society, preparing the way for Bonapartism.
Anyway, the way the terms have been used, "reactionary" refers to those who are against all change, and want an anachronistic restoration. "Conservative" has referred to those who are relatively reformist, but loathe to force the pace of social change, so as not to produce unnecessary turmoil, and who believe there is an heritage that one must carefully preserve. "Liberal" has referred to those who want to force social reform through the strong arm of government, and who are not terribly sensitive to the issue of heritage. "Revolutionary" has referred to those who would upend society to try to perfect it, and who disdain learning from the past, or respecting what has been passed down....... |
