What is ideology?
• Ideology is ‘an interrelated set of ideas that in some way guides or
inspires political action’ (Heywood, 2002)
• ‘An ideology is a reasonably coherent structure of thought shared
by a group of people. It is a means of explaining how society works
and explaining how it ought to work.’ (Dobson, 1992)
• Some uses of the term see ideology as something negative,
implying a distorted view of reality eg capitalist ideology,
patriarchal ideology
Copy two examples from each category of Ideologies
Movements inspiring 19th-century ideologies
The Enlightenment its ideals of reason, progress, secularism, and the
liberty of the (male) individual.
The French Revolution – experiments in social engineering, radical
republicanism, critique of all established norms (including the family
and private property), state-building and the formation of national
identity.
Industrialization – the advent of a capitalist order of bourgeoisie -- with
comfort, security, and ownership -- over laborers mired in poverty and
a host of other social ills.
Left and Right: The Political Spectrum
The most common comparative model of ideological preference
Left Wing Right Wing
Communism Socialism Liberalism Centrism Conservatism Statism Fascism
Democracy
The beginnings of democracy can be
traced back to the Greeks.
Pericles (495-429 BC) declared that
ancient Athens (Greece) was a democracy
because “power rested in the hands of the
many instead of the few”.
The Trial of Socrates
As an idea it is probably best summed up
by Abraham Lincoln, “government of the
people, by the people, for the people”.
Political ideologies
•Liberalism
•Conservatism
•Socialism
•Other political
ideologies
•Post-ideological politics
Liberalism
Liberalism is defined as a philosophy,
which is committed to the ideology of
limited government, freedom of speech,
religion, assembly, press and free
markets. It advocated a specific kind of
government, public policy and society
required as a result of the urbanization
and industrial revolution. John Stuart Mill
Liberalism
Key ideas
• Individual freedom
• Equality of
opportunity
• Government by
consent
• State’s role is to Liberalism has influenced a
safeguard freedom of variety of movements concerned
the individual with equal rights for all citizens
Types of liberalism
• Classical liberalism
• Progressive liberalism
• Neo-liberalism
Children queuing for food in the 1900s.
Progressive liberals argued that
individual freedom was only possible if
the state intervened to alleviate
problems like poverty. A liberal
Nick Clegg leader of the Liberal Democrat Party in Britain government introduced the first school
meals in 1905.
Capitalism
Capitalism is defined as a
social and economic system
where capital assets are
mainly owned and
controlled by private
persons, where labour is
purchased for money wages,
capital gains accrue to Adam Smith
private owners. The Wealth of Nations
Adam Smith claimed that people who trade with
each other don’t go to war with each other.
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that
promotes retaining traditional social institutions.
• A stable society should be based on the church, the state
and the family.
• Conservatives held that old established institutions were to
be preserved: MONARCHY, ARISTOCRACY, and the
CHURCH.
• Faith, history and tradition should replace reason and
excessive belief in individual rights.
• Change, if it comes, must be gradual and must take into Edmund Burke
Wrote “Reflections on the
account the country’s history and traditions. Revolution in France” (1790)
Key ideas Conservatism
• Importance of
tradition
• Gradual social
change
• Human beings are
imperfect and
flawed
The State Opening of Parliament
• State’s role is to
maintain order in London. Conservatives believe
in hierarchy, order and tradition
Socialism
The term socialism stems from theories that try to
improve the miserable lot of the urban industrial working
class.
Various forms of socialism have in common the goal of
subjecting property to the control by the community or the
state at the expense of private or individual interest. More Robert Owen
radical forms of socialism sought the abolition of private
property.
In the C19th, socialism became a popular theory
because some people thought that living and working
conditions would improve if there were greater government
intervention and regulation.
Noel Babeuf
Key ideas Socialism
• Collectivism
• Equality
• Opposed to capitalism
• Human beings are
capable of self-
fulfilment if given the The Labour government of 1945-50
opportunity by society nationalised key industries including
coal, gas, electricity, water and railways
Other political ideologies
• Feminism
• Environmentalism
• Fascism
• Anarchism
Some political ideologies like
environmentalism are hard to
classify as left or right wing
Communism
The central ideas were:
The abolition of private property
no longer be a separation of
society based upon social and
economic class
Imperialism
State policy, practice, or
advocacy of extending
power and dominion,
especially by direct
territorial acquisition or by
gaining political and
economic control of other
areas.
Post-ideological politics
This implies that political ideology is less
important in politics today
This can be seen because:
• There are less clear ideological
differences between political
parties
• Pressure group politics often does
not fit into traditional ideologies
eg. environmentalism Why might a protest such as
• Many political groups are
concerned with single issues rather this be seen as an example
than a comprehensive ideology of post-ideological politics?
