ideology Flashcards
what is ideology?
political beliefs that can help us gain insight into the nature of political debate and decision making
what was the view of ideology post 1945?
ideology became associated with extremism of right and left and the acts of Hitler and Stalin.
led to end of ideology as centrist approach adopted in the west
when was the ‘rebirth’ of ideology?
polarisation of politics from mid 1970s in UK and USA, labour became more socialist and conservative more right wing
who is seen as father of conservatism?
Edmund burke, he was horrified by the French revolution and the ideas and principles that drove it.
what people did Burke believe should govern?
Burke believed the govt should be entrusted to an elite who has been trained to rule. they are trusted to rule as they have been trained and have the most to lose from social unrest and promote stability
what are some of the basic beliefs of conservatism?
*human beings are unpredictable
*government should be trusted to an elite
*pure democracy is recipe for disaster
*believe their views are based in common sense and empiricism
*pragmatism
what was the state of the conservative party after ww1?
the party was full of defectors from the Liberal party, the party survived but ideology was no longer relevant as the party formed to resist liberalism had now used liberal ideas to resist socialism
how did the liberal ideas of the conservative party change in the 1970s?
thatcher transformed the party, pushed laissez faire policy and Neo-liberal policy
what are the common themes in liberalism?
consent, freedom and focus on the rational individual
what are some core ideas of liberalism?
- govt is necessary and activities can only be justified by consent
*govt activity should be limited, in the economic sphere
what was Jeremy benthams argument?
father of utilitarianism, decisions should be taken on the basis of the greatest happiness for the greatest number
what is the problem with benthams argument?
if the opinion of the majority prevails, it could be misinformed
what are some of the problems faced by liberalism?
industrial capitalism created widespread misery, should the state intervene
how far should the state intervene in the economy
what did T.H Green argue?
‘new’ liberalism state should intervene to provide individuals the chance to realise their potential
what did Herbert Spencer argue?
social darwinism, government interference prevents the operation of natures supreme law, laissez faire individualism
what did John Rawls argue about laissez faire?
he justified state intervention in providing security but nothing else it should be a ‘nightwatchman state’
what is the term liberal used as in the US?
liberal is often used as an insult in respect to those who fall in the new liberalism tradition e.g Obamacare based on new liberal principles
what is the problem with using the term liberal in the US?
the people who use the term liberal are just another form of liberal e.g those who claim Obamacare infringes individual liberty
what is the impact on populism on liberalism?
in the UK Boris Johnson claimed to have liberal instincts but was populist. Donald Trump pandered to people who considered themselves conservative but is actually a perverse kind of liberal
what is a nationalist?
someone who makes the independence and interests of a nation their overriding priority
when was the concept of the nation born?
1648, treaty of Westphalia , nations defined by territory
how has the idea of the nation changed?
national boundaries since 1648 have changed drastically, in the Middle East and Africa boundaries have been drawn in an arbitrary fashion.
when does nationalism tend to flourish?
people feel they are being misgoverned , by non-nationals feel resentment. or even greater grievances of feeling nationality is endangered or losing its independence
what is an example of USA nationalism?
make America great again, calling the government insufficient
what is the difference between patriotism and nationalism?
patriotism is often used to denote ones pride in the country which does not imply a dislike for others,
nationalism embraces antagonism rather than pride and often look for someone to blame for failure
what is the best example of UK nationalism?
Falklands conflict in 1982, with the islands near Argentina being British territory and the inhabitants wanting to remain.
once the conflict begun many britons found themselves expressing nationalists sentiments
what is the key takeaway for nationalism in Falkland conflict?
nationalism is context dependent, if people feel nationhood is being denied or attacked by an alien force they act in the perceived interest of the nation above all
what is civic nationalism?
implies that all those living within a state who identify with that state should be considered members of the nation
what is ethnic nationalism?
excludes individuals who are first, second, third etc generation immigrants. people not born within a country not a member of nation
what act did Atlee government pass which embodied civic nationalism?
British Nationality Act, anyone born within the British empire or commonwealth now had right to settle in UK, this was seen as costless exercise
what was the impact on nationalism of the Nationality Act?
resulted in upsurge of ethnic nationalism, the refusal to treat people as equal citizens if they didn’t conform to appearance or accent. the people who arrives from overseas seen as a threat to british identity. this idea has not gone away
what is the ultimate expression of ethnic nationalism?
fascism, practised in Nazi Germany, driven by ethnic nationalism to drive out anyone who isn’t pure
how is nationalism different from other ideologies?
not best understood as an ideology but as a tool which represents different ideological traditions, could almost be described as political stance
what did Karl Marx claim history was?
all history has been record of struggle for supremacy between social classes
how did Marx explain class and society would progress?
aristocracy were supplanted by bourgeois, who are then replaced by the proletariat.
when the proletariat wins there will be no reason to discriminate against other classes
what will happen to the state when the proletariat wins?
briefly the state will control means of production, after this state control will be replaced by social ownership and the state will wither away
what does Marx say is the only way socialism can be achieved?
socialism cannot be established without revolutionary change, everyone will then forget the violence and live peacefully
what are key points in socialism?
- human beings are naturally cooperative and can only thrive under economic equality
- capitalism created competition which results in inequality
- capitalism is evil, and contains seeds of its own destruction
- capitalism has been productive which once overthrown ensures enough resources for all
what does socialist revisionism argue?
is violent revolution necessary, or can capitalism be humanised
what did Eduard Bernstein claim about revolution (revisionism)?
revolution can happen through democracy, the acceptance of democratic principles raised a possibility that equality could be established without violence
what do the revisionists Galbraith and Crosland argue?
the control of industry has passed from owners to managers and technicians, who understand the needs of workers, therefore political and economic power is slipping from bourgeoisie without revolution
For Marx what were the perfect conditions for revolution?
a fully progressed capitalist economy
why was Russian revolution not perfect conditions for revolution?
in 1917 russia was stuck in aristocratic phase of historical development, Industry had hardly taken root, according to Marx Russia would be the last place were a socialist revolution could succeed
what are the connotations of socialism?
socialism linked with soviet struggle for survival, during Cold War western liberals equated socialism with fascism because Mussolini claimed to be a socialist and Nazi had ‘socialism’ in its name
how had the Labour Party adopted socialist principles?
labour adopted clause iv committed to common ownership in 1918.
the closest to a socialist govt was clement Atlee by nationalising industry and setting up NHS
how have labour strayed away from socialism?
Tony Blair removed clause iv and accepted capitalism as money generating method, but was still committed to social justice
what are the beliefs of Liberal feminism?
women and me should have equal political, social and economic rights.
what are the key beliefs of socialist feminism?
everyone is exploited under capitalism, but women are exploited more than men. capitalism has manipulated women into thinking men are the breadwinner and the women should support by cooking and washing.
emancipation is achieved depends of destruction of bourgeois class
what are key beliefs of radical feminists?
exploitation of women is similar to class exploitation in injustice produced, but it is deeply rooted and involves biological considerations, solutions can include separation of the sexes
what is environmentalism?
can be defined as a critique of any alternative view which accepts that the human race is different and superior to all other natural phenomena
why does environmentalism criticise liberalism?
liberalism emphasies the rational nature and humans are separate and superior to the rest of nature, John Locke argues that key purpose of life was to make the earth more productive
how have prominent liberals expressed their view on environment?
prominent liberal and ex-chancellor Nigel lawson are anxious to deny any evidence of climate change
David Cameron, more progressive liberal showcased concern for the environment to publicity, later calling it “green crap”
how does environmentalism criticise conservatism?
from environmentalist perspective, it doesn’t matter so much that conservatism envisages heirarchial society, the only relevant question is how wealth and power is used
what have conservatives said about the environment?
Anthony Trollope: viewd that the aristocracy was the preserver
John gray: presented the environment argument from conservative view, humans are no greater than creation and environment should be preserved
what are some of the problems faced by environmentalism?
- how do they convey their message without relying on tech and resources that exploit earths resources
- difficult to be environmentalist without slight hypocrisy
- other challenger ideologies bring rise in dissatisfaction with liberal democracy and provides fuel for direct action rather than normal methods
