Political Ideology – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering the main thinkers, concepts, and types of political ideologies discussed in the lecture notes.

Political Ideology

A coherent system of ideas about human life and culture that forms the basis for organized political action, aimed at preserving, modifying, or overthrowing existing power structures.

Antoine Destrutt de Tracy

French politician-philosopher who coined the word “ideology,” originally meaning the science of ideas.

Beliefs (in ideology)

Core convictions held by individuals or groups that shape their political perspectives and actions.

Values (in ideology)

Principles or standards of behavior considered important within an ideological framework.

Conservatism

Ideology that stresses tradition and views change skeptically, favoring what has already proven to work over untried alternatives.

Liberalism

Ideology centered on liberty and equality, seeing the state as a neutral arbiter among interests and advocating government action to improve individual conditions.

John Locke

Classical liberal thinker who rejected hereditary privilege, state religion, absolute monarchy, and the divine right of kings.

Socialism

Ideology advocating collective ownership and control of the means of production with proportional distribution of outcomes, opposing social classes and worker exploitation.

Social Democracy

Variant of socialism that seeks to improve quality of life through state-run welfare within a capitalist economy, emphasizing equal rights and opportunities.

Anarchism

Ideology skeptical of authority, rejecting involuntary hierarchy and government as evil, favoring direct democracy, continuous popular participation, and radical decentralization.

Fascism

Authoritarian ideology claiming that liberal democracies breed weakness, promising a ‘reborn’ stronger society and endorsing violence to achieve political goals.