Centrism

Centrism is a label for ideologies claimed to be at the middle of the political spectrum and therefore to avoid (dangerous) "extremism".

Many views that may today be labeled as centrist would likely earlier have been labeled as extremism.

The "Third Way" is a similar label, notably associated with Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. Criticisms of the label have included that it is just a rebranding of liberalism.

For far leftists, "centrism" may have a different meaning, referring to a leftist position claimed to be between revolutionary leftism and "reformism", or to be ambivalent regarding this. It is often a derogatory label used by revolutionaries. They may describe "centrism" in this sense as opportunistic, since it may theoretically argue for a leftist revolution at some point in the future, but urges reformist practices in the meantime, which the revolutionaries claim cannot create real change.

See also

• Political spectrum
• Political correctness
• Horseshoe theory
• Third Position

External links

Encyclopedias

• Encyclopedia Britannica: Centrism
• Encyclopedia.com: Third way