717: Left- and Right-wing Nov 24, 2016

The right- and left-wing, on days that aren't Thanksgiving, refer to stances on political and social issues. The terms have been used since 1789 during the French Revolution when different supporters in the National Assembly split themselves up without planning beforehand with revolutionists to the left of the president, and supporters of the kind on the right. This division continued into the seating of the Legislative Assembly, and in the mid 19th century, the ideas of the Democratic Socialists, and the Reactionaries were associated with the seating in the assembly. There was also room for a center-group, the Constitutionals, but most of the time people describe the nuances with center- right or left. These terms came into English in the former half of the 20th century, most commonly concerning the Spanish Civil War.