Centre-right politics

Centre-right politics is the set of <a href="/facts/Right-wing_politics/CVoubHMm">right-wing</a> political <a href="/facts/Ideologies/BWooMbq7">ideologies</a> that lean closer to the <a href="/facts/Political_centre/jybYq4vR">political centre</a>. It is commonly associated with <a href="/facts/Conservatism/2XdCcPzq">conservatism</a>, <a href="/facts/Christian_democracy/If75WCac">Christian democracy</a>, <a href="/facts/Liberal_conservatism/LBHdAxvQ">liberal conservatism</a>, and <a href="/facts/Conservative_liberalism/HE5h2n4z">conservative liberalism</a>. Conservative and liberal centre-right political parties have historically performed better in elections in the <a href="/facts/Anglosphere/mRuTW7Y5">Anglosphere</a> 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 <a href="/facts/Small_government/queYkgsa">small government</a>, <a href="/facts/Law_and_order_(politics)/pjKtwSx7">law and order</a>, <a href="/facts/Freedom_of_religion/ERtoqLEE">freedom of religion</a>, and strong <a href="/facts/National_security/DlmpehRa">national security</a>. It has historically stood in opposition to <a href="/facts/Radical_politics/3Sffh8xt">radical politics</a>, <a href="/facts/Redistributive_policies/0DtXG95q">redistributive policies</a>, <a href="/facts/Multiculturalism/jDbm9eo5">multiculturalism</a>, <a href="/facts/Immigration/8vNxfBhT">immigration</a>, and <a href="/facts/LGBT/WhVPgNDn">LGBT</a> acceptance. Economically, the centre-right supports <a href="/facts/Free_market/KnK7JohY">free markets</a> and the <a href="/facts/Social_market_economy/9zHvc3YR">social market economy</a>, with <a href="/facts/Market_liberalism/gELRnQsS">market liberalism</a> and <a href="/facts/Neoliberalism/UfqKadhe">neoliberalism</a> being common centre-right economic positions. It typically seeks to preserve the cultural and socioeconomic <a href="/facts/Status_quo/kMsM2X2s">status quo</a> and believes that changes should be <a href="/facts/Gradualism/VeFJBjLm">implemented gradually</a>.
The centre-right is derived from the <a href="/facts/Left%E2%80%93right_political_spectrum/IN2Kejbg">left–right political spectrum</a> of the <a href="/facts/French_Revolution/PIkDlrC0">French Revolution</a>. It first developed as a political force with the creation of <a href="/facts/Party_system/owlDaGYE">party systems</a> in the 19th century, when <a href="/facts/Monarchist/w5dEEJ8o">monarchist</a> and religious conservatives competed with <a href="/facts/Individualist/PR1JLI7c">individualist</a> and <a href="/facts/Anti-clerical/b8Vf1NB0">anti-clerical</a> 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 <a href="/facts/Liberal_democracy/5blgnbkS">liberal democracy</a> in the early 20th century.
The centre-right was reconfigured after <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a> to temper support for nationalism; it became a dominant political position throughout the <a href="/facts/Western_world/UQl4e7du">Western world</a>, particularly with the spread of Christian democracy across Europe. It aligned with the <a href="/facts/Western_bloc/RS9Ev5RJ">Western bloc</a> during the Cold War, and in Europe it heavily influenced <a href="/facts/Democratic_consolidation/KTmk1olr">democratic consolidation</a> and <a href="/facts/European_integration/nrHkmsE1">European integration</a>. Global economic downturn in the 1970s caused a rise in support for neoliberalism and <a href="/facts/Neoconservatism/GCGgBKUe">neoconservatism</a>. The <a href="/facts/Dissolution_of_the_Soviet_Union/Fyn5jw3n">dissolution of the Soviet Union</a> allowed a new centre-right movement to develop and take power in <a href="/facts/Central_Europe/VdxzSbJz">Central</a> and <a href="/facts/Eastern_Europe/f5CDGzNA">Eastern Europe</a> through the 1990s. The <a href="/facts/2007%E2%80%932008_financial_crisis/qw8n1pSN">2007–2008 financial crisis</a> led to declining support for the centre-right, and the following decade saw it replaced by greater support for <a href="/facts/Far-right_politics/QpBMz5Ss">far-right politics</a>.

Centre-right politics open-in-new

Centre-right politics