horseshoe theory

proper noun

The theory that the far left and the far right, rather than being at opposite ends of a political continuum, in fact closely resemble one another.

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Meanings

proper nounthe horseshoe theory
  1. political scienceThe theory that the far left and the far right, rather than being at opposite ends of a political continuum, in fact closely resemble one another.

    It just speaks to these unlikely bedfellows — like my doppelgänger and Steve Bannon. It’s kind of an alternative to the horseshoe theory, I suppose, because the horseshoe theory sort of assumes that it’s the far left and far right.

    2026 March 20, Ezra Klein, quoting Naomi Klein, “We’re All Living in the ‘Mirror World’ Now”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
    2 more examples

    There is some evidence, contradictory as it is, that if the PDS [Party of Democratic Socialism] did not exist, then the consequence would be a strengthening of the DVU [German People's Union], the NPD [National Democratic Party of Germany] and the Republikaner […] This does not mean, however, that I subscribe to the ever-present but increasingly orthodox horseshoe theory of political analysis […]

    2000, Peter Thompson, “The PDS: Marx's Baby or Stalin's Bathwater?”, in Peter Barker, editor, The GDR and its History: Rückblick und Revision (German Monitor; 49), Rodopi, →ISBN, page 103

    Some political scientists have suggested a “horseshoe theory,” with the center as the rounded top of a horseshoe and the two fringes on either end, but inclined toward one another. This image, while evocative, isn’t quite right. In the archive, it looks more like a circle.

    2022 December 14, Kathleen Belew, “The Crunchy-to-Alt-Right Pipeline”, in The Atlantic

Origin

Referring to the curved shape of a horseshoe, whose two ends come close to meeting.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 馬蹄鐵理論 /马蹄铁理论
  • 馬蹄鐵理論 /马蹄铁理论 (mǎtítiě lǐlún)Translations
Cite this entry
APA

horseshoe theory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horseshoe%20theory

MLA

“horseshoe theory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horseshoe%20theory. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “horseshoe theory,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horseshoe%20theory.

Source: horseshoe theory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.