Centre-right politics
Centre-right politics is the set of right-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. It is commonly associated with conservatism, Christian democracy, liberal conservatism, and conservative liberalism. Conservative and liberal centre-right political parties have historically performed better in elections in the Anglosphere than other centre-right parties, while Christian democracy has been the primary centre-right ideology in Europe.
The centre-right commonly supports ideas such as small government, law and order, freedom of religion, and strong national security. It has historically stood in opposition to radical politics, redistributive policies, multiculturalism, illegal immigration, and LGBT acceptance. Economically, the centre-right supports free markets and the social market economy, with market liberalism and neoliberalism being common centre-right economic positions. It typically seeks to preserve the cultural and socioeconomic status quo and believes that changes should be implemented gradually.
The centre-right is derived from the left–right political spectrum of the French Revolution. It first developed as a political force with the creation of party systems in the 19th century, when monarchist and religious conservatives competed with individualist and anti-clerical liberals. Christian democracy developed in the 1870s as another response to anti-clericalism. The centre-right provided a moderate position to compete with socialism in the 19th century, and it became a driving force for liberal democracy in the early 20th century.
The centre-right was reconfigured after World War II to temper support for nationalism; it became a dominant political position throughout the Western world, particularly with the spread of Christian democracy across Europe. It aligned with the Western bloc during the Cold War, and in Europe it heavily influenced democratic consolidation and European integration. Global economic downturn in the 1970s caused a rise in support for neoliberalism and neoconservatism. The dissolution of the Soviet Union allowed a new centre-right movement to develop and take power in Central and Eastern Europe through the 1990s. The 2008 financial crisis led to declining support for the centre-right, and the following decade saw it replaced by greater support for far-right politics.
Ideologies
The centre-right is heterogeneous and encompasses multiple distinct ideologies. Centre-right parties and coalitions are traditionally understood to be divided into separate factions depending on their priorities: economic, social, and cultural. They are unified by their opposition to left-wing politics.Christian democracy is a political ideology predominant in Europe that is often described as centre-right. It applies Christian morality to political issues, giving a religious justification for supporting democratization, individual liberties, and international cooperation. Christian democrats hold conservative positions on most issues, but in a more moderate fashion than groups specifically described as conservative, and they trend centrist on economic issues. Instead of a strong government, it advocates decentralization where other social units such as family, the community, and various organizations are major actors in society. While still supporting a market economy, Christian democrats are more open to market intervention than conservatives, so as to prevent social inequality. Unlike historical Christian political movements, Christian democracy is non-denominational and is not affiliated with the Catholic Church. Political scientists disagree as to whether post-war Christian democracy is continuous with that of the 19th century or if it is a new school of thought.
Conservatism is commonly grouped with the centre-right, though adherents of the far-right may argue that the centre-right is insufficiently conservative. Liberalism is sometimes grouped with the centre-right when it is expressed as conservative liberalism. The centre-right can also include a liberal variant of conservatism. Conservative centre-right parties are more likely to incorporate ethnic nationalism relative to liberal centre-right parties. Conservatives and liberals both oppose heavy governmental involvement in the economy. Right-liberalism is common in Europe, contrasted with the centrist liberalism in Canada and the United Kingdom, and with the left-liberalism of the United States. Economic ideologies associated with the centre-right include neoliberalism and market liberalism. Other ideologies sometimes grouped under the centre-right descriptor include agrarianism and populist nationalism.
Centre-right liberal and conservative parties have historically been successful in the Anglosphere, such as those in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and they have made up the primary centre-right ideologies in Scandinavia. In contemporary politics, these two ideologies often co-exist in the same party. Christian democracy has been the predominant centre-right ideology in continental Europe, particularly in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. It has performed most successfully in Catholic countries, while Christian democracy in other countries takes on more left-wing positions or fails to gain influence. Christian democratic parties are affiliated with the Centrist Democrat International and centre-right liberal parties are affiliated with the International Democracy Union. In Europe, centre-right parties are affiliated with the European People's Party.
Positions
Governance
Centre-right politics is associated with conservative positions on social and cultural issues and free-market liberal positions on economic issues—centre-right parties see their strongest support among demographics that share all of these positions. It broadly supports small government, though different factions hold different beliefs about when the state should intervene in economic and social affairs. Conservatives generally have limited trust in human nature and believe society forms a natural hierarchical structure. Liberalism is individualist and maintains that people are best fit to make decisions for themselves. Christian democrats lean toward personalism, which places value on individuals but adopts collectivist and corporatist elements as well as hierarchy.The centre-right generally seeks to preserve the societal status quo, in both a cultural and socioeconomic context, and it is opposed to the radical politics espoused by the far-right. Instead, it displays loss-averse tendencies and leans toward gradualism. Constitutionalism and separation of powers are championed by the centre-right, combining protections for individual liberties with rule of law. The centre-right's handling of the economy, its incrementalist approach to politics, and its support for the status quo have been attributed to its ability to remain in power for extended periods of time.
Economics
The centre-right commonly supports a social market economy, rejecting both socialism and laissez-faire capitalism. First developed by Christian democrats in post-war Germany, this system allows the state to intervene in the economy to regulate how business may be conducted, but it opposes nationalization or infringement on the free market. Social market economies allow cooperation between employers and unions, and they provide for basic welfare programs. This is more common among centre-right parties that appeal to working-class voters, as they otherwise have less incentive to hold these positions. Centre-right conservatives oppose redistributive policies, believing that individuals should be allowed to retain their wealth. This tends to attract the more wealthy to the ideology. While left-wing politics involves class conflict, centre-right parties forgo this in favour of supporting overall economic growth across classes.Alongside its support for lowering spending, the centre-right supports lower taxes. In some cases, they may advocate private-public partnership or emphasize policies geared toward economic growth—these traits are common in Latin America where centre-right parties differentiate themselves from far-right parties by appealing to the middle and working classes. In most countries, centre-right ideologies such as conservatism and Christian democracy are perceived by the public as most capable of managing the economy. Economic downturn often leads to a short-term benefit for centre-right parties before a longer-term benefit for centre-left parties.
Social and cultural issues
The centre-right places emphasis on protecting public safety, preserving national security, and maintaining law and order. It supports democratization around the world, and some centre-right groups consider regime change an appropriate means to spread and protect democracy. Taking a strong pro-peace stance can alienate members of a centre-right voting bloc. It is often more reluctant to support peace agreements because these often involve compromising on other centre-right positions such as maintaining a strong ethnic and religious identity. The centre-right leans toward paternalism over individualism and social harmony over societal conflict. It is also associated with anti-communism, which earned it support during the Cold War.Culturally, the centre-right has prioritized national and religious identity, especially by the mid-20th century. It has used religion and moral values as uniting elements, particularly with the middle class. European centre-right parties place higher priority on Christianity and providing support to Christians—a trait often shared with their far-right counterparts. The centre-right more strongly supports freedom of religion overall, as opposed to generalized support of human rights expressed by left-wing ideologies. As the European centre-right secularizes, it becomes less likely to support conservative positions on social issues. Centre-right parties that take strong stances on cultural issues are more susceptible to radicalize and adopt far-right positions.
While opposition to immigration is most commonly associated with far-right politics, the centre-right can attract support from voters with more moderate anti-immigrant positions. Centre-right opposition to immigration comes from the challenge that immigration presents to the status quo and to national identity. Supporters of centre-right politics in Europe often fear that immigration will lead to consequences such as increased crime, abuse of welfare, or acts of terrorism. Centre-right political parties sometimes take stronger positions against multiculturalism to gain an advantage over far-right parties. The centre-right is more likely to present immigration as a prominent issue when it is placed in the context of economic and cultural policy.
Right-wing politics has historically opposed social acceptance of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, but the European centre-right has come to support protections on the basis of sexual orientation. Some centre-right groups have taken the position that gay marriage and adoption by gay couples are an extension of the traditional nuclear family. Such support has not been widely extended to transgender people.
Centre-right parties support environmental preservation, though they are often seen as less interested in the subject than left-wing parties. The centre-right rejects concepts of climate grief or catastrophism, arguing that they can reduce interest in solving environmental issues.