Although being progressive is often associated with the left, this isn’t always the case. If we define left and right in socio-economic terms (for example, social programs), many progressive ideas don’t necessarily fit this definition.

A simplified way to identify a progressive person is someone who seeks change, while a conservative person wants things to stay the same or even return to how they were in the past. Conservative people often rely on religious interpretations to justify their ideas.

The classic example of conservatism is the family consisting of a wife who cares for the children and attends to her husband when he returns from work. This image of the traditional family has many consequences for the lives of people who do not identify with this family model. Many rights granted to traditional families do not apply to other couples, such as adoption or pensions. Because of these differences, progressive people reject ​​the traditional family model and seek to redefine family. Progressive people justify their ideas in terms of human rights.

Other issues that differentiate progressive people from conservative ones include drug legalization, abortion decriminalization, and euthanasia, among others. Precisely because of the issue of human rights, many people, whether left-wing or right-wing, may define themselves as progressive. Some people consider human rights to be a cause of the “new left.” For this reason, there is confusion among right-wing individuals who mistakenly identify as left-wing.

As we mentioned at the beginning, there are also positions on certain issues where the terms progressive and left, or right and conservative, are interchangeable. An example of this would be taxes (a socio-economic issue). Those on the left will always seek to raise taxes, while those on the right will always seek to lower them. However, when the left proposes higher taxes for wealthier individuals, it is considered progressive. In this particular case, being left-wing and progressive (right-wing and conservative otherwise) is the same thing.

If you want to know if you are progressive or conservative, left-wing or right-wing, we invite you to take this political personality test.

La entrada What does it mean to be conservative or progressive, and how can you find out with a test? se publicó primero en The Political Angle.

The left-right spectrum is defined in socio-economic terms. In this case, the left-wing favors state intervention in social and economic matters, while the right-wing wants less state intervention and more participation from private actors.

If we focus on the economic aspect, wanting more free markets and less government regulation would be considered right-wing. The opposite would be left-wing policies that seek more regulation and rules that limit what companies can and cannot do. Another characteristic is the operation of state-owned enterprises. The left favors and promotes state-owned enterprises, while the right believes it’s better to leave them in the hands of private companies.

On the social front, the left supports many social programs, including significant investment in public education, free healthcare, universal basic income, the arts, and scientific research, among others. In contrast, the right argues that social welfare is an unnecessary government expense and that people can succeed on their own if they choose to; in other words, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

If you’re curious to know how left-wing or right-wing you are, we invite you to take the political personality test.

So, where does the so-called New Left fit in? I invite you to read this other article, where we explain what the New Left is all about and why even those on the right consider themselves part of the New Left.

La entrada What does it mean to be right-wing or left-wing, and how can you find out with a test? se publicó primero en The Political Angle.

First Afro-descendant president of the American continent

Vicente Guerrero was born in 1783 in what is now the state of Guerrero to an Afro-Mexican father and an Indigenous mother. He was a liberal who fought for Mexican independence and became the second president of the Republic of Mexico in 1929. Because of his ideals and his origins, he had the courage to abolish slavery and proclaim all Mexicans equal before the law. However, this action faced widespread opposition (especially in Texas), forcing him to resign. He fled to Oaxaca, where he was captured and executed on February 14, 1931.

The abolition of slavery in Mexico was rejected by Texas, which saw it as a vital source of revenue. For this reason, Texas would later secede from Mexico and join the United States, where slavery was still legal.

Following in the footsteps of Vicente Guerrero, Abraham Lincoln in the United States would abolish slavery in that country three decades later, on January 1, 1863.

First Indigenous President of the American Continent

Benito Juárez was born in 1806 in a Zapotec village in Oaxaca. He was president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in 1872. Benito Juárez was the first democratically elected indigenous president in the Americas. Many historians consider him responsible for establishing Mexico as a true republic, with effects that are still seen today (for example, the secular state).

Unlike Vicente Guerrero, Benito Juárez was (100%) a Native American; this is the reason he is considered the first indigenous president of the American continent.

First female president in North America

Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo was born in Mexico City in 1962 into a Jewish family of Lithuanian and Bulgarian origin. She studied Physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), where she also obtained her master’s degree in energy efficiency. She later obtained her doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley.

In 2007, she joined the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as a co-author on the topic of “Climate Change Mitigation.” This group was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize that same year.

Claudia Sheinbaum participated in demonstrations against the privatization of education and to show her support for leftist parties in Mexico. She became the first woman to govern Mexico City in 2018. In 2024, Claudia Sheinbaum became the first woman elected president in North America.

La entrada The first African-American president, the first indigenous president of the Americas, and the first female president of North America se publicó primero en The Political Angle.