ist ▁class ▁( with ▁notable ▁exceptions ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁proto - comm un ist ▁G rac chus ▁B abe uf ). ▁Support ▁for ▁la isse z - f aire ▁commerce ▁and ▁free ▁mark ets ▁were ▁expressed ▁by ▁polit icians ▁sitting ▁on ▁the ▁left ▁because ▁these ▁represented ▁policies ▁favor able ▁to ▁capital ists ▁rather ▁than ▁to ▁the ▁arist ocracy , ▁but ▁outside ▁parliament ary ▁politics ▁these ▁views ▁are ▁often ▁character ized ▁as ▁being ▁on ▁the ▁Right . ▁ ▁The ▁reason ▁for ▁this ▁apparent ▁contradiction ▁lies ▁in ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁those ▁" to ▁the ▁left " ▁of ▁the ▁parliament ary ▁left , ▁outside ▁official ▁parliament ary ▁structures ▁( such ▁as ▁the ▁sans - cul ott es ▁of ▁the ▁French ▁Revolution ), ▁typically ▁represent ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁working ▁class , ▁poor ▁pe asant ry ▁and ▁the ▁un emp loy ed . ▁Their ▁political ▁interests ▁in ▁the ▁French ▁Revolution ▁lay ▁with ▁opposition ▁to ▁the ▁arist ocracy ▁and ▁so ▁they ▁found ▁themselves ▁al lied ▁with ▁the ▁early ▁capital ists . ▁However , ▁this ▁did ▁not ▁mean ▁that ▁their ▁economic ▁interests ▁lay ▁with ▁the ▁la isse z - f aire ▁policies ▁of ▁those ▁representing ▁them ▁polit ically . ▁ ▁As ▁capital ist ▁econom ies ▁developed , ▁the ▁arist ocracy ▁became ▁less ▁relevant ▁and ▁were ▁mostly ▁replaced ▁by ▁capital ist ▁represent atives . ▁The ▁size ▁of ▁the ▁working ▁class ▁increased ▁as ▁capital ism ▁expanded ▁and ▁began ▁to ▁find ▁expression ▁partly ▁through ▁trade ▁union ist , ▁social ist , ▁an arch ist ▁and ▁commun ist ▁politics ▁rather ▁than ▁being ▁conf ined