FUNDAMENTALS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
POLITICAL
IDEOLOGIES
WHAT WE'LL DISCUSS
TODAY'S TOPICS
FUNDAMENTALS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
Left-wing ideologies propose
a view of human beings living
together harmoniously
without great disparities in
wealth or social classes.
SOCIALISM
DEFINITION
ORIGIN AND HISTORY
SOCIAL DEMOCRACY
WELFARE STATE
KEY IDEAS OF SOCIALISM
KEY IDEAS OF SOCIALISM
KEY IDEAS OF SOCIALISM
COMMUNISM
DEFINITION
CONNECTION OF COMMUNISM TO MARXISM
CONNECTION OF COMMUNISM TO SOCIALISM
ORIGIN AND HISTORY
MARXISM
DEFINITION
ORIGIN AND HISTORY
KARL MARX AND FRIEDRICH ENGELS
KEY POINTS OF MARXISM
MARXISM-LENINISM
CLASSICAL MARXISM
NEOMARXISM
FUNDAMENTALS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
U.S. politics is essentially a tug-of-war
between liberals and conservatives.
These two terms often generate more
heat than light, but it is difficult to sort
the central issues in U.S. politics without
reference to the “liberals” and the
“conservatives.”
LIBERALISM
DEFINITION
ORIGIN AND HISTORY
JOHN LOCKE
JOHN RAWLS
CLASSICAL LIBERALISM
LAISSEZ-FAIRE
MODERN LIBERALISM
KEY IDEAS OF LIBERALISM
KEY IDEAS OF LIBERALISM
KEY IDEAS OF LIBERALISM
KEY IDEAS OF LIBERALISM
LIBERALS: CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Liberals value individualism as the wellspring of creativity,
dynamism, and intervention in society, the source of social
progress. Protecting dissent and minority rights allows a
broad range of ideas to be disseminated; keeps
government honest; and sets up a symbiotic relationship
between the individual and society, one that benefits both.
CONSERVATISM
DEFINITION
ORIGIN AND HISTORY
Conservative ideas and doctrines first emerged in the late eighteenth
century and early nineteenth century. They arose as a reaction against
the growing pace of economic and political change, which was in many
ways symbolized by the French Revolution. In this sense, conservatism
harked back to the ancien régime.
CONSERVATIVES: ECONOMIC RIGHTS
AND FREE ENTERPRISE
The dawning of the Age of Democracy
brought doom to Europe’s monarchies and
unleashed the economic potential of a
nascent middle class, thereby setting the
stage for the Industrial Revolution.
JOHN LOCKE (1632–1704)
Locke contributed greatly to the idea of the commercial republic, a
concept that forms the core of modern conservatism. Locke thus
helped lay the foundations for free enterprise and the modern
market economy, including such basic concepts as legal liability and
contractual obligation.
BARON DE MONTESQUIEU (1689 –1755)
In Montesquieu’s view, nations that trade extensively with other nations are likely to
be predisposed toward peace because war disrupts international commerce.
Montesquieu asserted that commerce would open new avenues for individual self-
advancement; that focusing on wealth creation would combat religious fanaticism;
and that a culture of commerce would elevate individual morality.
ADAM SMITH (1723–1790)
Known to many as the “worldly philosopher,” Smith
is the preeminent theorist of modern capitalism.
Smith believed self-interest and market forces
would combine to sustain economic competition,
which in turn would keep prices close to the actual
cost.
KEY IDEAS OF CONSERVATISM Tradition reflect the cumulated wisdom of the past and
institutions and practices that have been tested by time and
should be preserved for the benefit of the living and for
generations to come.
KEY IDEAS OF CONSERVATISM
The society is structured by natural necessity,
institutions, ‘fabric of society’ (families, local
communities, nation), contributing to the health and
stability of society. Shared values and a common
culture are also seen as being vital to the
maintenance of the community and social cohesion.
KEY IDEAS OF CONSERVATISM
Authority is always exercise ‘from above’
providing leadership, guidance, and support for
those who lack knowledge experience or
education to act wisely and their own interest.
THE NEW RIGHT
The New Right represents a departure in conservative
thought that amounted to a kind of counter-revolution against
both the post-1945 drift towards state intervertion and the
spread of liberal or progressive social values.
New Right ideas can be traced back to the 1970s and the
conjunction between the apparent failure of Keynesian social
democracy, signalled by the end of the postwar boom, and
growing concern about social breakdown and the decline of
authority.
MODERN CONSERVATISM
Conservatives are generally opposed to big
government and heavy taxes, especially on business
and wealth. Conservative political parties and
politicians typically appeal to commercial interests
and corporate industry, as well as to voters for whom
traditional family and religious values are paramount.
CONSERVATISM AND LIBERALISM
COMMON THEMES OF CONSERVATISM AND LIBERALISM
Liberalism and conservatism are both rooted in principles found in
the political philosophy of John Locked and enshrined in the
Declaration of Independence— that all human beings are created
equal; that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights,
including the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
(Jefferson’s expansion of Locke’s “right to property”); that
government exists to protect these rights; and that governmental
legitimacy derives from consent of the governed rather than from
royal birth or divine right.
DIFFERENCES ESSENTIALS AND EXAGGERATED
Liberals generally take a progressive view of history, believing the
average person is better off now than a generation ago or a century
or two ago. They adopt a forward-looking optimism about the long-
term possibilities for peace and harmony. As they see it, change is
often a good thing.
Conservatives, by contrast, look to the past for guidance in meeting
the challengges of the present. They are far less inclined than
liberals to equate change with progress. They view society as a
fragile organism held together by shared beliefs and common
values.
THE “VALUES DIVIDE” AND THE WAR ON TERROR
The tension between liberals and conservatives escalated into what
came to be called a “culture war” or “values divide” in the 1980s.
In the 1990s, however, Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the House,
announced the "Contract with America"— A conservative agenda
aimed at avoiding tax increases and balancing the federal budget,
as well as a slew of legislative reforms Following the September
11th attacks, a new schism emerged in 2001. The subsequent "war
on terror" was framed within a neoconservative worldview and
carried out by a president determined to make homeland security
and a crusade against international terrorism the twin pillars of US
policy.
FUNDAMENTALS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
SUMMARY
POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES
ANTIGOVERNMENT IDEOLOGIES
ANARCHISM NIHILISM
IDEOLOGIES OF THE RIGHT
MONARCHISM CAPITALISM
FASCISM LIBERTARIANISM
RELIGIOUS RIGHT
IDEOLOGIES OF THE LEFT
SOCIALISM MARXISM
COMMUNISM
IDEOLOGIES IN THE UNITED STATES
LIBERALISM
CONSERVATISM
