Horseshoe theory

In popular discourse, the horseshoe theory asserts that advocates of the far-left and the far-right, rather than being at opposite and opposing ends of a linear continuum of the political spectrum, closely resemble each other, analogous to the way that the opposite ends of a horseshoe are close together. The theory is attributed to the French philosopher Jean-Pierre Faye in his 1972 book Théorie du récit: introduction aux langages totalitaires, in relation to Otto Strasser.

Proponents point to a number of perceived similarities between the two extremes, such as tendencies to see politics in unambiguous and stereotypical terms; an "us vs. them" view of the world; holding confidently on to simplified views of the world; distrusting "authorities" and "elites"; and intense hostility towards those who hold other views. Peer-reviewed research on the subject have found mixed support for horseshoe theory.

Origin

The horseshoe metaphor was used during the Weimar Republic to describe the ideology of the Black Front. The later use of the term in political theory was seen in Le Siècle des idéologies. Faye's book discussed the use of ideologies (he said that ideology is a pair of Greek words that were joined in French) that he argued are rooted in philosophy by totalitarian regimes with specific reference to Friedrich Nietzsche, Adolf Hitler, Karl Marx, and Joseph Stalin; for instance, Faye used the horseshoe metaphor to describe the political position of German political parties, from the Communist Party of Germany to the Nazi Party, in 1932.