Bill Wimmer, age 16, of Nogales, Ariz., for his question:    

WHAT DOES LEFT WING MEAN?

Left wing is a term which means a liberal or radical division or branch of a political group. Opposite is right wing, a conservative division.

The term came from the first French legislature after the French Revolution. The conservative representatives were seated to the right of the speaker and the more radical deputies were seated to his left.

Later, people in other countries used the term "left" and "right° to denote the two opposite political beliefs: liberalism and conservatism.

Today, the left wing identification is often given to socialism or communism, while the right wing is used with fascism.