Radical

A political view associated with desiring to change “radically,” or drastically, official institutions and alter the existing power relations in society. The term is derived from the Latin radix, or root. The term originated in late-18th-century England; one of the earliest known usages was by the radical Whig Parliamentarian Charles James Fox. Daniel Pope, in American Radicalism (2001) notes that radicalism is a chronologically contingent term: What is radical this generation may be status quo the next. In terms of political ideology, common terminology associates radicalism with the “left” (liberal) and reactionary views with the “right” (conservative) ends of the political spectrum. Reactionary is a pejorative term usually associated with ultraconservative political views. The term originated with the French Revolution (1789–1799) to describe those who opposed the revolt. For more information, see Pope (2001).