Ideology and Identity: A Comprehensive Review

Flashcards covering definitions of key terms, philosophers, and historical events related to individualism, collectivism, and political ideologies as described in the lecture notes.

Identity

A person’s idea of whom or what one is, consisting of personal perception and how others view them.

Collective identity

Identity shared with other people of a larger social group such as a faith or an ethnic group.

Ideology

A set of beliefs and values that can influence a person’s identity and worldview.

Progressivism

Ideologies that advocate moderate political and social reform through government intervention, supporting social justice and workers' rights.

Individualism

A social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control, often linked to liberal ideology.

Collectivism

The practice of giving a group priority over each individual in it, where people cooperate to protect the common good.

Thomas Hobbes

Philosopher (1588-1679) who believed humans were selfish by nature and argued people should give up freedoms to a ruler called the Leviathan for security.

John Locke

Philosopher (1632-1704) who opposed absolute authority and proposed a social contract where government is accountable to the citizens.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Swiss philosopher (1712-1778) who believed people are born good but corrupted by society; he advocated for the common good and direct democracy.

Rule of Law

A principle of liberalism where every individual is equal before the law and no one, including officials, is above it.

Free Trade

Nations trading with each other without tariffs or taxes to encourage export markets and consumer choice.

Protectionism

The use of tariffs or restrictive quotas on imported goods to ensure a balance between imports and domestic products.

Invisible Hand

Adam Smith's theory that individual self-interest in a free market would lead to a stronger economy and benefit more people.

Haudenosaunee Confederacy

A membership of six Aboriginal nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora) that promoted peace and harmony.

The Great Law of Peace

The constitution of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy that divided power between levels of government and guaranteed rights of speech and religion.

Classical Liberalism

An ideology that values political and economic freedoms with limited government intervention, rooted in the Age of Enlightenment.

Laissez-Faire Economics

An economic system based on free markets, fair competition, and profit-motivated producers with minimum government intervention.

Sherman Anti-Trust Law

A 1890 United States law prohibiting anti-competitive business activities, such as monopolies or cartels.

Libertarianism

A political philosophy supporting strong personal rights to liberty, private property, and minimal government regulation.

Radical

A point on the political spectrum wanting a great degree of change, sometimes supporting violence to achieve a communist, classless society.

Reactionary

A point on the political spectrum seeking a return to an idealized past and accepting economic inequality, such as fascism.

Baron de Montesquieu

French aristocrat (1689-1755) who proposed the separation of government powers into executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

John Stuart Mill

Classical liberal thinker (1806-1873) who argued that government should only limit freedoms to protect the liberties of others.

Modern Liberalism

A form of liberalism that allows for government intervention in the economy to promote social welfare and protect minority rights.

Social Darwinism

The idea that only the strongest or hardest working individuals will succeed in a laissez-faire economy without government assistance.

Luddites

A reactionary group of workers who smashed factory equipment during the Industrial Revolution to protest being replaced by machines.

Chartism

A massive labor movement (1838-1857) in Britain that demanded political reforms including universal male suffrage.

Classical Conservatism

An ideology reaction to classical liberalism; it states that the educated elite should lead and that the government should protect the past.

Edmund Burke

Elitist philosopher (1729-1797) who believed people were not equally capable of participating in government and favored preserving the status quo.

Utopian Socialists

Humanitarians like Robert Owen who advocated for universal education and improved working conditions to create an ideal society.

Marxism

A radical socialism theorized by Karl Marx that involves the proletariat violently overthrowing the bourgeoisie to achieve a classless society.

Command Economy

An economic system where government planners, rather than supply and demand, decide what goods are made and their prices.

Welfare Capitalism

A system where classical liberal markets are combined with government legislation to protect worker rights and provide safety nets.

Keynesian Economics

The theory by John Maynard Keynes advocating for government intervention via fiscal and monetary policy to manage economic 'booms and busts'.

New Deal

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's series of programs for relief, recovery, and reform to stimulate the economy during the Great Depression.

Crown Corporations

Government-owned and operated businesses that provide services or create competition within a mixed economy.

Universal Health Care

The belief that all members of society should have equal access to medical care, funded by government revenue through progressive taxation.

Totalitarianism

A government form (like communism or fascism) where the state has total control over every aspect of public and private life.

Vladimir Lenin

Bolshevik leader who took control of Russia in 1917, implementing 'War Communism' and later the 'New Economic Policy' (NEP).

Joseph Stalin

Soviet leader who implemented Five Year Plans and collectivization, characterizing his rule with centralized planning and the Great Purge.

Fascism

A reactionary ideology characterized by a dictator, a one-party state, and a controlled market economy with private ownership.

Enabling Act

A 1933 law giving Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers by ending the separation of powers in Germany.

Nuremberg Decrees

1935 Nazi laws that stripped Jews of citizenship and prohibited marriages between Jews and Germans to protect 'Aryan' purity.

The Yalta Conference

A 1945 meeting between Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill to plan the post-war partition of Germany into occupation zones.

Cold War

A state of political hostility between the USA and the USSR from 1945 to 1991, characterized by threats, propaganda, and proxy wars.

Truman Doctrine

A US policy of containment authorized by President Truman to provide support to nations resisting Soviet influence.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a Cold War alliance providing collective security for democratic nations against Soviet expansion.

Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)

The Cold War doctrine that a nuclear attack would result in the complete destruction of both the attacker and the defender.

Brinkmanship

A strategy of pushing a dangerous situation to the edge of war to force an opponent to back down.

Détente

A lessening of tensions between the superpowers during the Cold War, featuring arms limitation treaties like SALT.

Glasnost

Mikhail Gorbachev’s policy of political openness and freedom of information in the late 1980s.

Perestroika

Gorbachev's policy of 'restructuring' the Soviet economic and political systems toward a more market-oriented economy.

Neo-conservatism

An ideology favoring a return to classical liberalism, characterized by cutting taxes, deregulation, and privatization.

Postmodernism

A movement challenging the dominance of modern liberal ideology, suggesting that society has blindly accepted liberal rules.