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In popular discourse, the horseshoe theory asserts that advocates of the far-left and the far-right, rather than being at opposite and opposing ends of a linear continuum of the political spectrum, closely resemble each other, analogous to the way that the opposite ends of a horseshoe are close together.[1] The theory is attributed to the French philosopher and writer of fiction and poetry Jean-Pierre Faye in his 1972 book Théorie du récit: introduction aux langages totalitaires, in relation to Otto Strasser.[2]
Several political scientists, psychologists, and sociologists have criticized the horseshoe theory.[3][4][5] Proponents point to a number of perceived similarities between extremes and allege that both tend to support authoritarianism or totalitarianism; political scientists do not appear to support this notion, and instances of peer-reviewed research on the subject are scarce. Existing studies and comprehensive reviews often find only limited support and only under certain conditions; they generally contradict the theory's central premises.[6][7][8]
- ^ Mayer, Nonna (2011). "Why extremes don't meet: Le Pen and Besancenot Voters in the 2007 Presidential Election". French Politics, Culture & Society. 29 (3). New York: Berghahn Books: 101–120. doi:10.3167/fpcs.2011.290307. S2CID 147451564. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
A commonly received idea, one strengthened by the post-war debates about the nature of totalitarianism, is that 'extremes meet.' Rather than a straight line between the Left and Right poles, the political spectrum would look more like a circle, or a 'horseshoe,' a metaphor the philosopher Jean-Pierre Faye used to describe the position of German parties in 1932, from the Nazis to the Communists.
- ^ Faye, Jean Pierre (1972). Théorie du récit: introduction aux langages totalitaires. Critique de la raison, l'économie narrative [Narrative theory: introduction to totalitarian languages. Critique of reason, narrative economy.]. Collection Savoir (in French). Paris: Hermann. p. 124. ISBN 978-2-7056-5695-9.
- ^ Berlet, Chip; Lyons, Matthew N. (2008). Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort. New York: Guilford Press. p. 342. ISBN 978-1-57230-568-7. OCLC 43929926. Retrieved 12 July 2023 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Đorić, Marija; Filipović, Miroslava (2010). "The Left or the Right: Old Paradigms and New Governments". Serbian Political Thought. 2 (1–2). Belgrade: Institute of Political Studies in Belgrade: 121–144. doi:10.22182/spt.2122011.8.
- ^ Pavlopoulos, Vassilis (20 March 2014). Politics, Economics, and the Far Right in Europe: A Social Psychological Perspective (PDF). The Challenge of the Extreme Right in Europe: Past, Present, Future. London: Birkbeck, University of London. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ Van Hiel, Alain (2012). "A Psycho-Political Profile of Party Activists and Left-Wing and Right-Wing Extremists". European Journal of Political Research. 51 (2). Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell: 166–203. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6765.2011.01991.x. hdl:1854/LU-2109499. ISSN 1475-6765.
- ^ Hanel, Paul H. P.; Haddock, Geoffrey; Zarzeczna, Natalia (2019). "Sharing the Same Political Ideology Yet Endorsing Different Values: Left- and Right-Wing Political Supporters Are More Heterogeneous Than Moderates". Social Psychological and Personality Science. 10 (7). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications: 874–882. doi:10.1177/1948550618803348. ISSN 1948-5506. S2CID 52246707.
- ^ Hersh, Eitan; Royden, Laura (25 June 2022). "Antisemitic Attitudes Across the Ideological Spectrum". Political Research Quarterly. 76 (2). Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications on behalf of the University of Utah: 697–711. doi:10.1177/10659129221111081. ISSN 1065-9129. S2CID 250060659.