Political Ideologies

IDEOLOGY

a systematic body of concepts especially about human life or culture
a manner or the content of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture
the comprehensive claims, beliefs, and objectives that make up a sociopolitical program
is a more or less coherent body of ideas that serves as the foundation for coordinated political action, whether this action is taken with the intention to uphold, alter, or overthrow the current order of power.

is a collection of associated political theories and policies that a person, group of people, or social class holds.
political ideologies form the basis of how they view the world around them and the proper role of government in the world. (Heywood 2003)

Ideologies offer futuristic explanations for the issues that face contemporary civilizations.
Ideology is action-oriented.
Ideologies mobilize a large number of people.

skeptical of authority and rejects all involuntary, coercive forms of hierarchy
rejection of the government
To anarchists, government is evil, oppressive
supports direct democracy and calls for extreme decentralization as well as ongoing public participation.
Democracies that are based on elections or representative government are only a front used to hide elite dominance and make the oppressed populace accept it.

Karl Marx
"Whoever owns the production is getting more out of the worker than they're putting in."
this creates an inherent inequality
Society must change to a form where the proletariat controls the means of production collectively and holds this power instead.
That is where communism and socialism came into the picture.
Socialism is a precursor to communism and the next logical step after capitalism.
In socialism, a democratic state control the means of production rather than having private companies hold ownership (capitalism)
"Communism" doesn't really exist. Communist countries are actually a socialist country, with the state controlling employment and economy to some degree.
There is no such thing (yet) as total control over society and economy (Communism).

"is when a population collectively owns and controls the means of production, and distributes the end result proportionally."
control is delegated to the state; distribution comes in the form of underlying social welfare to satisfy everyone basic needs, like housing, education, and health care.
SOCIAL DEMOCRACY- focuses on enhancing quality of life by ensuring that everyone has access to equal rights and opportunities, on top of a capitalist economy.
practice in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland
MARXISM-LENINISM- focuses on maintaining a dictatorship with immaculate governance; every benefit to the government is a benefit to the populace. In actuality, though, this has meant that, for the "benefit of the state," the ruling party can drastically diminish the value of the population's standard of living.
practice in Soviet Union, China, and Cuba

The state was established on the principles of liberty and equality as a neutral arbiter between conflicting interests and factions in society.
rejects inherited privilege, official religion, absolute monarchy, and the idea that kings have divine rights in society and politics.
John Locke- Father of liberalism

The state is associated with establishing authority and discipline as well as with defending society against anarchy and disarray.
Seeks to preserve institutions emphasizing stability and continuity.

Born out of the idea that rational democracies would lead to severe crisis and weakness.
It claims to bring about the rebirth of a brand-new, larger, and stronger civilization, free from any flaws.
The state as a supreme ethical ideal, reflecting the undifferentiated interests of the national community, hence, their belief in totalitarianism.
Intensely supportive of violence to achieve political means.