In political theory, the horseshoe theory asserts that the far left and the far right, rather than being at opposite and opposing ends of a linear political continuum, in fact closely resemble one another, much like the ends of a horseshoe. The theory is attributed to French writer Jean-Pierre Faye.[1] Proponents of the theory point to a number of similarities between the extreme left and the extreme right, including their propensity to gravitate to authoritarianism or totalitarianism.