Political Ideology
Notes
Ideology Defined
Ideology is a set of basic beliefs about life, culture, government, and society.
Politics – Process by which people decided which members of society get certain benefits or privileges and which do not– Struggle for power or influence within institutions or
organizations (govt is an institution)
A political ideology provides the framework for looking at government and public policy.– Closely linked set of beliefs about politics
Ideology
Most Americans don’t follow a strict ideology, but rather decide their position on an issue by issue basis.
Inconsistency – Many people might favor lower taxes AND better schools and services.
Its never good to make generalizations about what a certain “group” thinks
Traditional political spectrum
Liberal – “Left-ist”
A person with liberal ideology believes that the national government should be active in helping individuals and communities and improving the welfare of individuals.
Respect civil/individual liberties/rights. Every segment of society gets a fair deal. Traditionally viewed as the group that favors
change and new ideas Govt should take action to reduce poverty and
regulate the economy
Conservative – “Right-ist”
A conservative believes the role of government in society should be very limited.
Individuals should be responsible for their own well-being.
Government should not solve social problems, but private institutions should (they are more effective/efficient).
Traditionally viewed as the group that avoided change Support for traditional values Strong sense of patriotism
Moderates
Moderate’s opinions fall somewhere between liberal and conservative.
40% of Americans claim to be moderate.
Some Comparisons
Death Penalty– Liberals – against it– Conservatives – for it
Defense/Military Spending– Liberals -- decrease or maintain amount– Conservatives – increase amount
Minimum Wage– Liberals – increase it– Conservative – lower or eliminate it
Radical – Far Left
Believe society exploits people and want to drastically change society in order to change it.
Example group – anarchists, Earth First
Reactionary – Far Right
Strongly conservative Small minority of people Solve society’s problems by going back to an
earlier time or use religious based solutions
Libertarians
Center-Right side of spectrum Believe in a very small government whose
role is limited to defense and resolving disputes
Do not want any gov. involvement in economics or society
Communism and Fascism
Neither fit in the traditional spectrum Communism – revolutionary variant of socialism
that favors a dictatorship, govt control of all enterprise and a centrally planned economy
Facism – 20th c. ideology that exalts the national collective united behind an absolute ruler. Fascism rejects liberalism, glorifies war, and favors elitism.