Origins of Left and Right Wings in Politics

The distinction between left-wing and right-wing in politics originated from the seating arrangement during the French Revolution, where those in favor of upholding the monarchy were on the right side and those in favor of abolishing it were on the left. This setup by architect Pierre-Adrienne Paris in the National Assembly resulted in the familiar British parliamentary layout with opposing benches. While traditionally politics was viewed through the lens of left wanting more state involvement and redistribution in the economy and the right wanting the opposite, a shift has occurred to view the divide as open versus closed categories instead.