Ideologies and Identity Flashcards
Plato
Believed that the community is best served by each citizen doing whatever it is that he or she does best
Humans are not equal in gifts and talents. Your role is determined by natural abilities
Thomas Hobbes
Lived during the English Civil War. The bitter struggle between the king and Parliament ended with the beheading of the King, then a republic was formed and the government tyrannized the people and brutally punished opponents
Believed that human nature is characterized by fear, violence, and dangerous self-interest.
If everyone is free, then everyone is in danger. We all need security more than we need freedom.
Believed in a society where everyone gave up his or her freedom to one person who was responsible for everyone’s security. Didn’t believe it’s possible to have both freedom and security
John Locke
People are rational, intelligent, and reasonable - different from the divine right of kings. The source of power was the people themselves - individuals possess the ability to be reasonable and make rational decisions
The only reason governments exist is to protect life, liberty, and property. People give up their natural state of freedom to enter into a civil society
Any government action had to be justified by popular consent
Believed in democracy
Divine right of kings
Power rested with God and the king, who was chosen by God to rule and therefore had absolute power
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Believed that people are inherently good and have been corrupted by civilization and society
Interested in the common good
Humans are naturally free and equal in principle. Private property and ownership of land led to jealousy and corruption. People lost compassion for one another, became selfish, and based their happiness on the opinions of others
Wanted humans to go back to the characteristics that were universal and unchanging - these made humans good and equal. This would lead to the most effective and legitimate forms of government
The ideal state is one where the general will of the people was the absolute authority
Instead of a representative democracy, he wanted citizens themselves to make laws directly, so people could enjoy a level of freedom close to what they enjoyed in the state of nature
Political spectrum
Way of comparing or visualizing political beliefs by placing them on an axis. Conservatism on the right, liberalism centre-left, socialism left of that. Communism on extreme left, fascism on extreme right
Left wing = equality, government economic interventionism, readiness to change
Right wing = liberty, limited government, support for tradition and the status quo
Radical
Extremist of the political left
Want change to the status quo that is immediate and sweeping and are prepared to use violence to achieve their revolutionary goals
Moderate
Someone who is generally satisfied with the status quo
Includes both liberals who support progress and accept change as a means of improving conditions for individuals and society, and conservatives who resist change believing that traditions, privilege, and law and order are essential to maintaining a civilized society
Reactionary
Extremist of the political right
Reject change and favour a return to traditional values, institutions, and the real or imagined glories of the past
Which direction does change move in over time?
To the left - values that once seemed more radical gradually become accepted and eventually may represent the status quo
Extent of government control - extreme left and right
Total government control to achieve objectives
Extent of government control - socialists
Government has a significant role in controlling vital industries and agencies
Extent of government control - liberals
Government has a role in shaping a better society
Extent of government control - Conservatives
The role of the government should be limited
Extent of government control - Anarchists
Distrustful of the power of government, believe it should be abolished
Totalitarianism
Ruled by a single leader and party. The executive has total control over all functions of the state and citizens are expected to give their full allegiance to their government
Can be Communist or Fascist
Authoritarianism, absolutist, autocratic, dictatorial, one-party state
Moderates
Balance individual freedom with the common good. Promote pluralism which recognizes the natural rights of a diverse population to actively participate in the governing of the country. Power of the government is limited by the constitution and rule of law. A separation of powers helps ensure that no branch of government can wield extraordinary power without the consent of the governed
Anarchism
All government authority is self-serving, potentially corrupt and unjust, and individuals should be free from external agencies. Rejected as a system that would result in chaos by those who support government as an institution
Communism principles
Authoritarian
Radical
Revolutionary
Internationalist
Capitalism is imperialist and exploitive by nature
Government ownership and control of the economy
Socialism principles
Democratic
Society is perfectible through careful government planning
Change must be peaceful and orderly
Power and profit should be shared to achieve greater equality
Conservatism principles
Democratic
Individual freedom, limited government
Tradition provides security and stability
Emphasis on law and order
Economic and social matters are best left to traditional institutions - church, family, business
Fascism principles
Authoritarian
Reactionary
Retrogressive - return to a previous mythic state
Ultranationalist
Elitist
Racist
Private ownership/government control of industry
Fascists
Reject political freedoms in a state that glorifies leadership and national objectives. Protect private ownership but control economic decision-making
Communists
Reject political and economic freedoms in order to create a new communist state. Theoretically government control ends when a classless society is achieved
Libertarians
Reject government intrusion in the lives of citizens. Believe individuals should be free to do anything they want, so long as they do not infringe upon the rights of others. Reject collective values and are suspicious of government intrusion
Socialists
Use the democratic powers of government to achieve egalitarian objectives
Fiscal conservative
Free markets, limited government, low taxes
Principles of individualism
Rule of law
Individual rights and freedoms
Private property
Economic freedom
Self-interest
Competition
Free market
Economy that operates with limited government intervention and relies on the choices that rational individuals make in their own self-interest
Classical liberalism
Original ideas of liberalism
Arose in Europe following the renaissance and Reformation - led to a belief in the importance of the individual in society
Enlightenment/Age of Reason
Promoted the beliefs of classical liberalism that congealed into the liberal ideology of the 19th-century
Humanists
Believed in the importance of arts and literature alongside faith
Sought meaning and purpose in love, beauty, art, and development of the self
Came with a questioning of the authority of the Roman Catholic Church
Breakdown of the feudal economic order in the 17th century
Cities grew as more and more people became involved in expanded trade overseas
Wealthy middle class emerged, peasants sought more lucrative work in cities, breaking down the economic base of aristocracy which was based primarily on agriculture
Principles encouraged by classical liberalism
Individual rights and freedoms to be exercised in the individual’s self-interest
Humans are reasonable and can make rational decisions that will benefit both themselves and society
Economic freedom, private property, free markets
Protection of civil liberties
Constitutional limitations on the government
Hobbes and the Leviathan
The central authority that ensures the security of everyone, which can only be achieved at the expense of individual sovereignty
The Leviathan can only justify its power if it kept its subjects safe - emphasis on the worth of individual subjects
Social Contract (Locke, Hobbes)
People give up some of their natural rights to a government in order to receive social order and security for themselves and their property
Locke vs Hobbes accountability
Locke, unlike Hobbes, believed that the government should be directly accountable to the people. Great emphasis on the concept of private property, or the right of individuals to protect and keep what they owned
Montesquieu
Believed in the worth and equality of individuals, and accountability of the government
Believed in the separation of powers - government divided into three branches. Branches are separate from and dependent on one another so that the influence of any one power would not be able to exceed that of the other two
For the system to work, people need to be involved in the government - democracy. Each citizen had to participate in and be aware of the laws and the workings of government
John Stuart Mill
Protection of individual freedom and the promotion of individual decision making as the core of societal institutions
An individual should be able to act as he or she wants, so long as his or her actions don’t harm others
Advocated for free speech, which is a necessary condition for intellectual and social progress
Reasons why Great Britain was unique during the Industrial Revolution
It’s an island, so it was highly dependent on sea trade. This led to a large commercial fleet, powerful navy, and the largest empire in the world. Provided the means for the creation of many personal fortunes for enterprising ship owners and merchants
The political climate favoured the development of a parliamentary government and constitutional monarchy, where power is shared between the king and Parliament
Parliament passed the Enclosure Acts, which forced thousands of low-income farmers into towns and cities, resulting in a large pool of cheap labour
Ideas were being influenced by the writings of Enlightenment thinkers who advocated for human reason, human initiative, and individual worth
Factors that came together in Great Britain
New ideas about human potential and individual worth and the accompanying idea of progress. Commoners can create wealth and achieve status
Government friendly to business and innovation
Huge amount of investment capital and cheap labour, and a large number of innovators and inventors who were encouraged by the possibility of reward
Physiocrats
Enlightenment philosophers who critiqued mercantilism
Mercantilist system
The aim of all economic pursuits should be to strengthen the poewr and wealth of the state
Adam Smith
Disagreed with the existing mercantilist system
If people work first and foremost for themselves, everyone - including the state - would be better off
Individuals should work for their own self-interest in a free-market system. Insisted that individual self-interest in a free market would lead to a stronger economy and would benefit most people in society
Government’s role should be limited to maintaining the rule of law, to ensuring contracts were followed, and to providing some public works. Provided the foundation for much of the capitalist system
Communist view on religion
Opposed. Religion is the opiate of the masses, the spiritual comfort of religion prevents oppressed peoples from seeking political change
Hegemony
Political control exerted by one group over others
Progressivism
Various ideologies that advocate for moderate political and social reform through government action, such as anti=trust laws
Support social justice and the rights of workers
Principles of collectivism
Economic equality
Cooperation
Public property
Collective interest
Collective responsibility
Adherence to collective norms
Examples of economic equality
People with larger incomes pay more taxes - progressive taxation
All people should earn equal wages for work of similar value
There should be a guaranteed annual income
All people should share in the wealth of the country or the world
People should own the means of production collectively
Everything should be free. No private property
Labour movement
Began during the Industrial Revolution
Workers can be members of organized trade unions and fight successfully for better working conditions and higher rates of pay
Mitigate
Lessen, moderate, diminish
Government paid health care will help citizens to mitigate their personal expenses
Consolidate
Combine, join, unite, merge
The Indian Act consolidated many existing agreements with First Nations
Arbitrary
Random, illogical, haphazard
A king may make arbitrary decisions because no one is allowed to question their authority
Irony
Satire, mockery, sarcasm
Prevail
Succeed, overcome, triumph
According to Marx, Communism would prevail where Capitalism failed
Unprecedented
First time, unique, unmatched
The Industrial Revolution demonstrated unprecedented growth in the production of products
Hastily
Fast, speedily, quickly
Stalin hastily removed all of his political enemies
Alleviate
Ease, lessen, relieve
Canadian subsidized post-secondary education can alleviate some financial costs of a higher education
Tenent
Principle, doctrine, belief
Separation of powers is a key tenent of a democratic system
Juxtapose
Contrast, compare
The ghettos in Warsaw in 1941 juxtaposed the lives of Aryans with people of Jewish descent
Disenchantment
Bitterness, unhappiness, disillusionment
Dishonest politicians can create disenchantment amongst voters
Inherent
Essential, integral
Adam Smith believed that it was inherent for the government to stay out of the economy
Reformed
Changed, converted, restructured
The New Deal reformed the role of the government in the American economy
Proponent
Advocate, supporter, promoter
Ronald Reagan was a strong proponent of a return to free market principles
Opponent
Enemy, foe, adversary
Edmund Burke was an opponent to the rise of Classical Liberal principles
Obligated
Beholden, indebted, must
John Locke believed that the government was obligated to provide the common good to its citizens
Viable
Practical, feasible, worthwhile
Voters often look for the most viable political candidate to fit their personal ideals
Correlation
Link, relationship, connection
Although Fascism pursues inequality and communism promotes equality, the two systems show a correlation through their use of the methods of manipulation
Excerpt
Passage, piece, quote
Oppressive
Overbearing, domineering, unfair
Marx argued that the bourgeoisie maintained an oppressive advantage over the proletariat
Consequence
Result, effect, outcome
A consequence of a party coming in second in a Canadian election is that they become the official opposition
Equalize
Level, balance, match
Keynes believed that monetary and fiscal policy could equalize market fluctuations
Emergence
Appearance, rise, occurrence
The Industrial Revolution demonstrated the emergence of the assembly line system
Perceive
Observe, notice, recognize
Anti-Semitism was easily perceived in Nazi Germany
Collective
Group, shared, communal
A union is a collective of employees often in the same industry
Prerequisite
Essential, required, condition
For a bill to become a law in Canada it is a prerequisite that it be passed in both houses of Parliament
Attributed
Credited, endorsed
The term “the invisible hand” is attributed to Adam Smith
Relinquish
Abandon, surrender
In a Constitutional Monarchy democratic system, the monarch must relinquish virtually all of their power
Hierarchy
Pecking order, chain of command
Stalin was at the top of the hierarchy of political leadership in the USSR
Propser
Flourish, thrive, succeed
Margaret Thatcher believed that the best way for England to prosper was for the government to remove itself from the economy
Hegemony
Domination, control, supremacy
The Third Reich was seeking hegemony over all of Europe through WWI
Succession
Sequence, progression
Disaffected
Dissatisfied, delusional, apathetic
Voting numbers being low in a nation may be a sign that the voting population is feeling disaffected with their political process
Denounced
Condemned, criticized
Stalin denounced many political rivals and eliminated them during the Great Purge
Jeopardized
Risked, endangered, threated
In a democracy, a citizen’s personal safety should not be jeopardized if they show dissent towards their political leaders
Presuppose
Assume, presume, suppose
Marx presupposed that the final stage of Communism would be the Withering of the State
Exercised
Used, implemented, applied
The Enabling Act allowed Hitler to exercise complete control over all 3 branches of government
Preserve
Maintain, keep, uphold
A key component of the judicial branch is that they preserve the rights of all citizens equally
Foster
Promote, further, advance
Smith believed that an economic system based on supply and demand would foster the wealth of a nation
Mandate
Order, command, directive
The Nazis mandated the Final Solution, which contributed to the horrors of the Holocaust
Wield
Use, apply, exercise
The American President can wield the power of his veto if he disagrees with a law passed by Congress
Spokesperson
Representative, speaker
John Maynard Keynes was the main spokesperson for Demand Side Economics
Dissemination
Distribution, spreading, diffusion
Goebbles would disseminate Nazi propaganda through various forms of media
Infringe
Overstep, intrude
Adam Smith believed that government involvement in the economy infringed on naturally occurring market forces
