Populist switchers

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

I remember having several times heard of far-leftist populists who finished far-rightist populists, the only example i've in my mind is Mussolini but I remember having heard of it for several others.

Though, I can't remind having already heard about some far-rightist who finished far-leftist.

Has it existed?

[Tetro Kornbluth]

I remember having several times heard of far-leftist populists who finished far-rightist populists, the only example i've in my mind is Mussolini but I remember having heard of it for several others.

Though, I can't remind having already heard about some far-rightist who finished far-leftist.

Has it existed?

From Far-left to Far-right: Jacques Doriot and the Alsace Communists during WWII come to mind. There are quite a few actually... Wasn't Oswald Mosley once a Labour MP?

From Far-Right to Far-Left: That's much harder. At least among major figures (obviously on lower levels alot of that went on, if they could get away with it, in Eastern Europe c1942-1947).

[Хahar 🤔]

Pierre Laval is another notable example.

[Beet]

Far-left to far-right: Whittaker Chambers
Far-right to far-left: Arianna Huffington

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Wasn't Oswald Mosley once a Labour MP?

He had an interesting career trajectory - he was first elected as a Tory, became an Independent because of disagreement with Tory policy on Ireland, joined Labour and the Fabian Society, left Labour because the MacDonald government was not radical enough... and everyone knows the rest.

[Hash]

There was one Breton nationalist, his name escapes me, who went from far-left anarchist Breton nationalism to ultra far-right nationalism (ironically, I think it was French nationalism) and collaborated with the Nazis.

[KuntaKinte]

Not really a politician and not a populist, but Horst Mahler, who was a member of the RAF in the 1970s, is today a supporter of the fascist NPD.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horst_Mahler

[big bad fab]

Pierre Laval is another notable example.

He didn't come exactly from far-left, but is of course a big example.

Of course, Doriot.
Paul Marion, who was a small French Goebbels and may qualify for the word "populist" !
Henri Barbé et Pierre Célor, from the famous Barbé-Célor purge.

René Belin was from the CGT, even if a non-communist wing.

Marcel Déat was a socialist, Charles Spinasse also.
Drieu la Rochelle in a way.

Gaston Bergery was a radical.
Bertrand de Jouvenel and... René Bousquet were from the centre-left.
Camille Chautemps wasn't from the right originally.

Oh, I'm a bit far away from your question, but, anyway, this dérive fasciste was widepsread !

You can add some former Soviet communists who are now the biggest nationalists in Russia.

And Meciar wasn't a communist for a long time when he reached prominence after 1989, but, well, he was one in the beginning. And he is a REAL populist !

[jokerman]

Lots of Southern politicians in the early and mid 20th century (Orville Faubus, George Wallace).  Wallace switched back, notably.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Well, the answers here would comfort what it seemed. There are far more who switch from the far-left to the far-right...

[Хahar 🤔]

Lots of Southern politicians in the early and mid 20th century (Orville Faubus, George Wallace).  Wallace switched back, notably.

It's sometimes difficult to tell where left ended and right began in the Solid South.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Well, the answers here would comfort what it seemed. There are far more who switch from the far-left to the far-right...

By the way, if someone would have a theory about that, please partake...

[Хahar 🤔]

The far right takes power more frequently than the far left. Also, people tend to move from left to right in general.

[minionofmidas]

And indeed, in popular leftist revolutions you frequently find people whose politics were once conservative among the emerging leaders. Although typically they weren't politicians when they were Conservative. Max Hoelz will do as an example.

I recall that one of the Hessian Antisemite MPs from the Kaiserreich was later a Socialist, though (and made a mini political comeback in 1918.)

[Filuwaúrdjan]

There's a Labour county councillor in Shropshire who used to be associated with a very right-wing and loudly nationalist group of Tories in northern Shrewsbury who is now a CWU official and a lefty.