POLITICAL

IDEOLOGIES

OBSOLON N. DAYAG
WHAT IS IDEOLOGY

● Karl Marx together with Frederick Engel defined Ideology

itself as represents the "production of ideas, of
conceptions, of consciousness," all that "men say,
imagine, conceive," and include such things as "politics,
laws, morality, religion, metaphysics, etc.
WHAT IS POLITICAL IDEOLOGY

● Ideology according to Heywood (2007) refers to a system of

beliefs about how society should function, behave, and
operate. He further explains that from a social-scientific
viewpoint, an ideology is a more or less coherent set of
ideas that provides a basis for organized political action,
whether this is intended to preserve, modify or overthrow
the existing system of power relationships.
FUNCTIONS OF POLITICAL IDEOLOGY
● Political ideologies are very important in a society. Heywood (2007)
also described the following functions of political ideology:
(1) It offers an account of the existing order by examining what works
and what does not work, as well as other various issues and problems
that the state and the broader society are confronted with.
(2) It provides a model of a desired social order, a vision of the Good
Society.
(3) It outlines how political change or the desired social order can be
achieved
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN IDEOLOGY
1. Complexity: Some ideologies are very
simple, whereas others, such as
Marxism, are quite detailed.
Example: “Don’t trust anybody over 30!”
was a simple ideology held by many
young Americans in the 1960s.
2. Consistency: Sometimes the ideas that constitute a
single ideology conflict with one another. Similarly,
sometimes a person’s views shift significantly over time.

Example: Benito Mussolini, the father of Italian fascism,

was a communist when he was younger. The fact that

fascism was strongly anti communist never seemed to

bother him.
3. Flexibility: Some elaborate ideologies, like some religious
beliefs, allow almost no wiggle room and have answers to all
questions. Other ideologies have a great deal of flexibility.
Example: The Catholic Catechism, which details the beliefs of
the Catholic Church, is thousands of pages long and covers
almost every topic imaginable. There is little room for
individual interpretation. In contrast, the ideology of
libertarianism encourages individuals to make decisions for
themselves.
MAJOR POLITICAL
IDEOLOGIES
LIBERALISM
I. LIBERALISM
● pertains to set of political beliefs emphasizing individual rights
and liberties.
● Liberal ideology is based on the liberty and equality of all human beings. It advocates for the equal
treatment of individuals under the law regardless of social status, race, ethnicity, sex, or gender. It
states that there are many aspects of an individual's life over which governments have no power to
regulate.
KEY IDEAS OF LIBERALISM
1.Individualism
- It is the core principle of liberal ideology.
- Individualism is further explained as:
★ belief in the supreme importance of the human
★ human beings are seen with equal moral worth; they possess
separate and unique identities
★ the liberal goal is to construct a society within which
individuals can flourish and develop
2. Freedom:
- Individual freedom or liberty is the core value of
liberalism.
- Under freedom are the following features:
★ desire to ensure that each person is able to act as he or
she pleases or chooses
★ advocate ‘freedom under the law’
★ as they recognize that one person’s liberty may be a
threat to the liberty of others
3. Reason
- Liberals believe that the world has a rational
structure, and that this can be uncovered through the
exercise of human reason and by critical enquiry.
- Furthermore, the key idea of reason favors the
following:
★ faith in the ability of individuals to make wise
judgments;
★ individuals as the best judges of their own interests;
★ belief in progress and the capacity of human beings
to resolve their differences through debate and
4. Equality:

- This refers to the belief that individuals are ‘born

equal’, at least in terms of moral worth.
- Liberalism has strong commitment to equal rights
namely:
★ legal equality (‘equality before the law’);
★ political equality (‘one person, one vote; one vote,
one value’).
5. Toleration
- It means willingness to allow others to think, speak and act in ways
which they disapprove.
- This promotes debate and intellectual progress.
6. Consent
- It will advocate that authority and social relationships should
always be based on consent or willing agreement. Under this idea,
the government must therefore be based on the ‘consent of the
governed’.
- Authority is always grounded in legitimacy
5. Toleration
- It means willingness to allow others to think, speak and act in ways
which they disapprove.
- This promotes debate and intellectual progress.
6. Consent
- It will advocate that authority and social relationships should
always be based on consent or willing agreement. Under this idea,
the government must therefore be based on the ‘consent of the
governed’.
- Authority is always grounded in legitimacy
CONSERVATISM
II. CONSERVATISM

● Conservatism refers to set of political beliefs

based on preservation of customs and traditions
that define the character of a society.
● Conservatives thus favour institutions and practices that have evolved
gradually and are manifestations of continuity and stability.
Government’s responsibility is to be the servant, not the master, of
existing ways of life, and politicians must therefore resist the
temptation to transform society and politics.
● Conservatives reject the optimistic view that human beings
can be morally improved through political and
social change
● conservatives tend to assume that human beings are
driven by their passions and desires—and are therefore
naturally prone to selfishness, anarchy, irrationality, and
violence.
● Families, churches, and schools must teach the value of
self-discipline, and those who fail to learn this lesson must
have discipline imposed upon them by government and
law.
 KEY IDEAS OF CONSERVATISM
1. Tradition
- It is the central theme of conservative thought or ‘the desire to
conserve’.
- It respects established customs and institutions that have
endured through time.
- Tradition reflects the accumulated wisdom of the past, and
institutions and practices that have been ‘tested by time’, and it
should be preserved for the benefit of the living and for
generations yet to come.
2. Pragmatism
- It is the belief that action should be shaped by practical
circumstances and practical goals, that is, by ‘what works’.
3. Human imperfection
- In this view, human beings are limited, dependent, and security-
seeking creatures, drawn to the familiar and the tried and
tested.The maintenance of order requires a strong state, the
enforcement of strict laws, and stiff penalties.
4. Authority
- Conservatives hold that, to some degree, authority is always
exercised ‘from above’, providing leadership, guidance and support for
those who lack the knowledge, experience or education to act wisely
in their own interests. Authority and leadership are seen as resulting
from experience and training.
5. Property
- Conservatives see property ownership as being vital because it gives
people security and a measure of independence from government,
and it encourages them to respect the law and the property of others.
SOCIALISM
III. SOCIALISM
● Socialism is defined as set of political beliefs
emphasizing community and social equality that
adheres to the following ideas.
● Socialists choose cooperation to competition, and
favour collectivism over individualism.
● The objective of socialism is to lessen or abolish class
divisions.
OBJECTIVES OF SOCIALISM
1. Property, disease and ignorance shall be eliminated.

2. Property and privilege in any form shall occupy a strictly

limited place.

3. All citizens shall have equal opportunities.

4. Ethical and spiritual values shall contribute to the

KEY IDEAS OF SOCIALISM
1. Community
- The core of socialism is the vision of human beings
as social creatures linked by the existence of a
common humanity.
- It highlights the importance of community, and the
degree to which individual identity is fashioned 10
by social interaction and membership of social
groups and collective bodies.
2. Fraternity
- It is sharing a common humanity. Humans are
bound together by a sense of comradeship or
fraternity (literally meaning ‘brotherhood’, but
broadened in this context to embrace all humans).
Socialism prefers cooperation over competition and
favors collectivism over individualism.
- Cooperation enables people to harness their
collective energies/strengthens the bonds of
community.
3. Social equality
- is the central value of socialism
- it emphasizes equality of outcome as
opposed to equality of opportunity. The
measure of social equality is looked upon
as guarantee of social stability and
cohesion
4. Need is of primary importance in Socialism
- it is the belief that material benefits should be
distributed on the basis of need, rather than simply
on the basis of merit or work
- the satisfaction of basic needs (hunger, thirst,
shelter, health, personal security and so on) is a
prerequisite for a worthwhile human existence and
participation in social life.
5. Social class
- socialism has traditionally been associated with the
interests of an oppressed and exploited working
class - regarded the working class as an agent of
social change.
- the socialist goal is the eradication of economic
and social inequalities, or their substantial
reduction.
6. Common ownership
- The socialist case for common ownership is that
it is a means of harnessing material resources to
the common good, with private property being
seen to promote selfishness, acquisitiveness and
social division.
 THE EVOLUTION OF SOCIALISM
● Socialism evolved in a variety of ways.
● Communism and democratic socialism are the two most
prominent evolutions of socialism.
I. Communism: An authoritarian and revolutionary approach
to achieving socialism. As an ideology, communism
emphasizes a classless society in which all members jointly
share the means and output of production. The regimes of
the Soviet Union and communist China embody this
ideology.
II. Democratic socialism

- a peaceful and democratic approach to achieving

socialism.
- as an ideology, democratic socialism also
emphasizes a classless society in which all members
jointly share the means and output of production.
- unlike communism, democratic socialism attempts to
achieve its goals peacefully via the democratic
processes.
MARXISM
IV. MARXISM
● Marxism is a doctrine containing economic and political theories
of philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
● Marxism is an economic and political doctrine that seeks to
resolve the tension between social classes by controlling the
means of production.
● Basically, Marxists believe that governments should be used to
prevent individuals from controlling and monopolizing economic
prosperity.
BASIC GOALS OF MARXISM
1. Marxism aims to expose the contradictions of capitalism.

Marx and Engels believed that capitalist ideologies were misleading, meant to keep
workers submissive. For example, the free market was described as a democratic
institution, one of the people, but it's built to benefit individuals above the collective
good. Basically, the workers spend their time and labor to produce goods, but the
free market (not the workers) determines the value of their work.

2. Marxism is meant to introduce a pathway for the creation of a communist

society.

A communist society is one in which the means of production are taken away from
individuals and controlled by the collective (represented by the state)
CLASS STRUGGLES
● Marxism is focused on the idea of social class, which it defines as a
group of people categorized by their role in the economy, and
specifically their relationship to the production of goods. In the
capitalist society of the 19th century, Marx and Engels identified two
primary social classes (each with minor divisions within it)
● At the top are the bourgeoisie, who are the people who own the
means of production. These are the business owners, factory
managers, and other people who don't actually make anything but
oversee those who do.
● The opposite class is the proletariat, who are the workers who
actually produce things.
● bourgeoisie ● proletariat
SOCIAL DEMOCRACY
V. SOCIAL DEMOCRACY
● Social democracy is a political ideology, responsible for promoting the
direct intervention of the state in the economy, in the context of a
capitalist society.
● The purpose of this intervention is to be able to redistribute income in
a more social way, ensuring the welfare state and the general interest.
● The main goal of social democracy is to reduce levels of inequality
within an economy.
● The goal of modern social democracy is to reform capitalism in order
to align itself with the moral ideals of social democracy, rather than
create an alternative and purely socialist economic system.
V. SOCIAL DEMOCRACY
● In other words, social democracy supports the development
of the mixed economic system and is fully compatible with
the capitalist organization of production, as long as it is cost-
effective, as long as it increases the general level of
prosperity, and if the surplus-value is fairly distributed to the
factors of production. That is, entrepreneurship, labor, and
capital.
VI. FASCISM
 VI. FASCISM
● Fascism is a political ideology that developed after World War I in Italy and
Germany. Fascism is characterized by strong nationalism, an extreme level of
authoritarianism, corporatism, militarization and hostility towards both
liberalism and Marxism.
● Fascism involves a high degree of nationalism, which is a strong feeling of
patriotism to your state and its people. In fact, the nationalism of fascism is so
strong that it often involves feelings of national and racial superiority over
others.
● Fascist governments employ an extreme form of authoritarianism.
Authoritarian governments have power concentrated in one small group of
people or even one person. Citizens often are not permitted to form opposition
parties, and free elections are often not held.
● Propaganda and secret policy are tools of state. Authoritarian
leaders usually are not subject to the rule of law - the laws don't
apply to them.
● Fascism is also characterized by militarism, where military
institutions and military force have a heavy influence in society.
Militarism can be characterized by four factors. First, it involves
the participation of military officers in the civilian government.
Second, the state focuses on a foreign policy predicated on a
strong military and projection of power. Third, military values and
norms are persuasive within the society's culture. Finally, there is
a focus on war preparation in cultural, political and economic
institutions.
● Corporatism is also a part of the fascist state. Corporatism
occurs when a government brings certain privileged business,
labor and social groups into the government to directly
participate in the formulation and implementation of policy.
Note that this is different from communism, as the state does
not own the industries or control the labor. In fact, corporatism
often promotes capitalism but directs it towards state
objectives. It's also different than American-style pluralism,
where interest groups try to influence government through
lobbying. Instead, the interest groups participate directly in the
policy-making process.
BENITO MUSSOLINI ADOLF HITLER

MOST PROMINENT FASCISTS

The darkest example of this is the Jewish Holocaust brought about by Nazi
fascism during World War II.
VII. ANARCHISM
VII. ANARCHISM

● Anarchy, derived from a Greek word meaning "having no ruler," is

a belief system that rejects governmental authority in favor of self-
governing or community consensus that has become a synonym
for chaos and the breakdown of civil order.
● Derived from the Greek root anarchos meaning “without
authority”.
● Anarchists prefer stateless society. Individuals can best manage
their own affairs through voluntary agreement and cooperation.
VIII. FEMINISM
VIII. FEMINISM

● Feminism is derived from a Latin word Femina

meaning women or female, concerned with the
attainment of gender equality in the political,
economic and social spheres of life.

● The primary focus is the position of women in

society.
FOUR TYPES OF FEMINISM
1. RADICAL FEMINISM

- Blames the exploitation of women on men. It is primarily men who have

benefitted from the subordination of women. Women are ‘an oppressed
group.
- Society is patriarchal – it is dominated and ruled by men – men are the
ruling class, and women the subject class.
- Rape, violence and pornography are methods through which men have
secured and maintained their power over women- Andrea Dworkin (1981)
- Radical feminists have often been actively involved in setting up and
running refuges for women who are the victims of male violence.
2. MARXIST FEMINISM

● Capitalism rather than patriarchy is the

principal source of women’s oppression, and
capitalists as the main beneficiaries.
● The disadvantaged position of women is seen
to be a consequence of the emergence of
private property and their lack of ownership of
the means of production.
3. LIBERAL FEMINISM
- Nobody benefits from existing inequalities: both men and women are
harmed
- The explanation for gender inequality lies not so much in structures and
institutions of society but in its culture and values.
- Liberal Feminists do not seek revolutionary changes: they want changes
to take place within the existing structure.
- The creation of equal opportunities is the main aim of liberal feminists
4. DIFFERENCE FEMINISM/ POSTMODERN FEMINISM
- concerned with language (discourses) and the relationship
between power and knowledge rather than ‘politics and
opportunities’
- Post-modern feminists begin with the assumption that the
modernist conception of feminism places overt emphasis
upon gender differences between women and men whilst
ignoring the differences within each gender
IX. GREEN POLITICS/
ECOLOGISM
IX. GREEN POLITICS/ECOLOGISM
● This ideology is linked with the emergence of
environmental movement.
● It also rose as a revolt against industrialization.
● It is concerned with the damages brought by economic
development and by the declining quality of human
existence.
X. COSMOPOLITANISM
X. COSMOPOLITANISM
● Cosmopolitanism refers to the ideology that all human beings
belong to a single community, based on a shared morality.
● A cosmopolitan community might be based on an inclusive morality,
a shared economic relationship, or a political structure that
encompasses different nations.
● Cosmopolitanism is an analytical viewpoint that defends the concept
of global citizenship.
● Global citizenship is the umbrella term for social, political,
environmental, and economic actions of globally minded individuals
and communities on a worldwide scale.
PERFORMANCE TASKS
● Draw or make a sketch of your dream society. Consider at least one
of the Political Ideologies. Put your drawing on a long bond paper.
● CRITERIA FOR THE DRAWING
- Relevance to the theme------------------------------------ 25%
- Creativity and originality---------------------------------- 25%
- Neatness and organization-------------------------------- 25%
- Overall impression of the drawing----------------------- 25%

____________ 100%