Politics

Politics can be a deep subject. However, many associate politics with toxic discorse, which is as accurate as it is sad.

The Problem of Categorization

Political beliefs can range from basic & predictable to being deviously difficult to categorize.

The Left-Right Axis

The simplest and easiest to understand schema is the left-right axis. It has it's origins in the French Revolution, where conservatives gathered on the right side and the more radical revolutionaries gathered on the left. Since then, the left has remained associated with sweeping changes and the right with cautious reactionaries. Either side can indulge in extremism, which becomes common during bad times. During good times, moderation becomes more reasonable, as most people wouldn't want to mess up the greatness they already have. As times get bad, moderation turns into centrism as their stance becomes a coping mechanism.
While this lens of viewing politics is effective at gauging western democracies, it has limits. For example, it sometimes includes anarchism as adjacent to communism, which is unfair for the state-hating anarchists, and the centralized planning communists support. Conservatives, and reactionary ideologies such as fascism are put next to each other. There's too much nuance that's lost, and may be why the right tends to demonize the left and vice versa. We need something better.

The Political Compass[1]

The political compass provides another way of viewing politics that's honestly refreshing by comparison. The left-right axis is labeled the "economic scale" and a new axis is added: the libertarian-authoritarian axis. This is the "social scale", and it mainly serves to gauge an individual's views on society that aren't related to economics. This includes social issues that the culture war revolves around, as well as matters that are determined by one's religion. Such issues overlap, making them hotly controversial; be mindful and tread carefully, but don't tread on the freedom-loving libertarians. The social and economic axes together form a plane which is divided into four quadrants:

• The Authoritarian Left, aka AuthLeft, are the tankies and power-tripping mods of the group. During the 20th Century, the Russian Revolution lead to the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, aka the USSR. The American Red Scare of 1919 occured during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, and during the 1950s, Senator Joe McCarthy caused the Second Red Scare. Since World War 2, and until the start of the 1990s, the Soviet Union posed a major threat to the United States. As both superpowers hegemonized Europe, and West Berlin became enclaved by East Germany. In East Asia, the Communists won the Chinese Civil War, creating the People's Republic of China. The US got involved in the Korean War, and then the Vietnam War, the former war was inconclusive, while the latter stained the reputation of the US government domestically. The USSR invaded Afghanistan, the Chernobyl disaster occured, and several other factors led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. North Korea lost it's funding, Vietnam now has positive relations with the US, and China's economy became intertwined with America's economy. Today, with the War in Ukraine, the AuthLeft mostly finds itself preferring Russia.
• The Authoritarian Right, aka the AuthRight, include conservatives towards the middle of the chart, fascists as the totalitarians, and alarmingly competent capitalists in the economic far-right. This quadrant has become more anti-intellectual over the years, as academic environments had become further left. This is the most reactionary quadrant, consistent in resisting social change. After World War 1, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire broke apart, while Germany was harshly punished by the Allied Powers. The First World War really was the end of an era. Hungary lost land to Romania and Yugoslavia. Italy, one of the Allies, were disappointed with the results of the peace treaty, and in 1922, the Kingdom of Italy became fascist under the rule of Benito Mussolini, making for an anti-democratic state. This inspired a fascist uprising in Germany, as Hitler proclaimed a revolution in Bavaria, but the police put down the coup attempt, so 16 NSDAP members and 4 police officers were killed. Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison, which The Kingdom of Spain, which was neutral during the war, experienced a coup detat, turning Spain into a military dictatorship. After support faded, Spain became a republic, which was hopeful for the poor and threatening to the rich.

  The end of the Weimar Republic

  In Germany, the newly formed Weimar Republic was forced to reduce the German military considerably, which would create major social problems down the line. The allies, inaccurately, blamed Germany for the war, saddling them with a massive debt. The German mark then underwent the second-worst case of hyperinflation in recorded history. The German economy during the 1920s was already in bad shape, but the Great Depression made it even worse. After a particularly violent election campaign, the NSDAP gained 10% more seats, a total of 44% of the German Parliament in the Reichstag. Six days before the election, the Reichstag building was arsoned. Hitler politicized the incident by claiming that Communists planned to destroy the German government. He persuaded the president, Paul von Hindenburg, to issue a decree suspending civil liberties. As prime minister Hitler also became president: the fusion of offices was given the title "Führer", which translates to "savior"; however, he was anything but.

  Spanish Nationalists win the Civil War

  Nazi Germany, Italy, and Portugal supported the Spanish Nationalists. The Spanish Republic had the support of Mexico and the USSR. The rest of the world? Both sides had foreign volunteers, including George Orwell. More on that in the LibLeft section.
  
• The Libertarian Left, or LibLeft, is made up of a hodgepodge of anarchists, progressives, stoners, among many other types. Due to their anti-state, anti-capitalist position, this side hardly plays nice with the government. The International Workingman's Association, later known as the 1st Internationale, was made to unite various leftist currents. The early 20th century was a time of anarchist activity. trikes, riots, assassinations, and even straight up illegalism was a common theme at the time. For example, President William McKinley was assassinated, making the vice president, Theodore Roosevelt, assume office. 4 days before the assassination, Teddy Roosevelt publicized the following: "Speak softly and carry a big stick, and you will go far." More about him later, he's one of my favorite presidents. The Russian Revolution? They fought against the White faction, but were betrayed by the Bolsheviks.