Toggle menu
Toggle personal menu
Not logged in
Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits.

Political Compass: Difference between revisions

From ProleWiki, the proletarian encyclopedia
Libertarian Socialist was in quotations. im here to inform that the term libertarian was originally left-wing before right-wingers stole it in the 1960s
Local Gay Communist - LGC (talk | contribs)
made it less l*beral
Tag: Visual edit
 
Line 1: Line 1:
[[File:Political compass.png|thumb|The x-axis ranges from "left" to "right" and the y-axis ranges from "[[Libertarianism|libertarian]]" to "[[Authoritarianism|authoritarian]]."]]
[[File:Political compass.png|thumb|The x-axis ranges from "left" to "right" and the y-axis ranges from "[[Libertarianism|libertarian]]" to "[[Authoritarianism|authoritarian]]."]]
The '''Political Compass''' is a political model designed to be an improvement and successor to the [[Left-Right Political Spectrum|Left-Right Spectrum]]. It improves on this by introducing a y-axis, where one end of the scale is labelled 'Authoritarian' and the other 'Libertarian'. It then puts a point, where supposedly you can decide what political ideology you have. Despite the flaws of the model, it is still a popular model used by people who enjoy politics and often used in political memes.
The '''Political Compass''' is an idealist political model designed to be an improvement and successor to the [[Left-Right Political Spectrum|Left-Right Spectrum]], while in reality it is simply a means of incorporating anti-communist propaganda into the somewhat neutral political spectrum model. It claims to improve on the Left-Right Spectrum by introducing a y-axis, where one end of the scale is labelled '[[Authoritarianism|Authoritarian]]' and the other '[[Libertarianism|Libertarian]]'. It then puts a point, where supposedly you can decide what political ideology you have. Due to the added individualism of the model, it is particularly popular among liberals.


== Description ==
== Description ==
The model introduces a y-axis where one end of the scale, you get Authoritarian, the other is Libertarian. The y-axis is typically placed at the middle of the x-axis, and thus forms four quadrants. Those are: Authoritarian Left, Authoritarian Right, Libertarian Right and Libertarian Left (often abbreviated as Authleft, Authright, Libright, and Libleft, respectively). Note that authoritarian is not denoted the same as 'authoritarianism' in liberal terms.
The model introduces a y-axis where one end of the scale is labeled "Authoritarian" and the other "Libertarian". The y-axis is typically placed at the middle of the x-axis, and thus forms four quadrants. Those are: Authoritarian Left, Authoritarian Right, Libertarian Right and Libertarian Left (often abbreviated as Authleft, Authright, Libright, and Libleft, respectively). The actual body of these Ideological groupings is entirely subjective as it's based on pseudo-science.  
 
=== Authoritarian Left ===
These are people who want to retain the state, and allow '[[Left-wing politics|leftist]]' policies as well. This group typically fits Marxist-Leninists and any other supposed 'Authoritarian Left' ideology, such as 'Orthodox Marxism' and 'Democratic Socialism'.
 
=== Authoritarian Right ===
These are people who want to retain the state but accept more 'rightist' policies. This group fits Liberals, Conservatives and Fascists (although the exact position of Fascism is debatable amongst Liberals).
 
=== Libertarian Right ===
These are people who want to remove the state but keep the rightist policies such as retaining Capitalism. This typically describes "Libertarians" (the term was taken from the Left) and 'Anarcho-Capitalists'.
 
=== Libertarian Left ===
These are people who want to remove the state and accept left-wing policies. This group typically fits Anarchists and Libertarian Socialists.


== History ==
== History ==
Line 24: Line 12:


== The Appeal to the Political Compass ==
== The Appeal to the Political Compass ==
The Political Compass has received popularity despite the criticism given about the test, as it is better to demonstrate the political compass than the typical 'Left-Right Spectrum'. Therefore there are communities which surround the Political Compass, such as the subreddit r/PoliticalCompassMemes or the website 'Polcompball' (Political Compass Ball).
The Political Compass has received popularity despite the criticism given about the test, as it is a simple tool for liberals to visualise ideology without actually learning any political theory, similar to political compass balls, an offshoot of the political compass wherein each ideology is given a distinct personality. Therefore there are communities which surround the Political Compass, such as the subreddit r/PoliticalCompassMemes or the website 'Polcompball' (Political Compass Ball).


== Criticism ==
== Criticism ==

Latest revision as of 12:33, 16 August 2025

The x-axis ranges from "left" to "right" and the y-axis ranges from "libertarian" to "authoritarian."

The Political Compass is an idealist political model designed to be an improvement and successor to the Left-Right Spectrum, while in reality it is simply a means of incorporating anti-communist propaganda into the somewhat neutral political spectrum model. It claims to improve on the Left-Right Spectrum by introducing a y-axis, where one end of the scale is labelled 'Authoritarian' and the other 'Libertarian'. It then puts a point, where supposedly you can decide what political ideology you have. Due to the added individualism of the model, it is particularly popular among liberals.

Description[edit | edit source]

The model introduces a y-axis where one end of the scale is labeled "Authoritarian" and the other "Libertarian". The y-axis is typically placed at the middle of the x-axis, and thus forms four quadrants. Those are: Authoritarian Left, Authoritarian Right, Libertarian Right and Libertarian Left (often abbreviated as Authleft, Authright, Libright, and Libleft, respectively). The actual body of these Ideological groupings is entirely subjective as it's based on pseudo-science.

History[edit | edit source]

The Political Compass Website (and the Model supposedly) was created in 2001 to be a successor to the Left-Right Political Spectrum.[1]

Political Compass Website[edit | edit source]

The Political Compass Website was made in order to give awareness but also to note that it is supposed to be a 'universal' test designed to apply to all political ideologies.[2] There is also a test available for those who want to try out the political compass and see where they land within the model. The Political Compass Website has been given criticism for the test, as it has a bias towards the 'Libertarian Left' spectrum.

The Appeal to the Political Compass[edit | edit source]

The Political Compass has received popularity despite the criticism given about the test, as it is a simple tool for liberals to visualise ideology without actually learning any political theory, similar to political compass balls, an offshoot of the political compass wherein each ideology is given a distinct personality. Therefore there are communities which surround the Political Compass, such as the subreddit r/PoliticalCompassMemes or the website 'Polcompball' (Political Compass Ball).

Criticism[edit | edit source]

The model itself has received criticism as the terms 'Libertarian' and 'Authoritarian' are also abstract and unscientific. It also inherits the same flaws it had with the 'Left-Right Spectrum', not attempting to change them in any fundamental way, so the model is inherently unscientific.

The website itself treats "economic left vs right" as a matter of "regulation vs deregulation,"[3] hence why it treats far-right politicians with Bonapartist policies (such as Marine Le Pen[4]) as economic "centrists."

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Political Compass Website
  2. ↑ The Political Compass - About
  3. ↑ "The Political Compass - FAQ," accessed on September 10, 2024.
  4. ↑ "French Presidential Election April 10-24, 2022," Political Compass, accessed on September 10, 2024.