ideology

Question 1

what is ideology?

Answer 1

political beliefs that can help us gain insight into the nature of political debate and decision making

Question 2

what was the view of ideology post 1945?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

when was the ‘rebirth’ of ideology?

Answer 3

polarisation of politics from mid 1970s in UK and USA, labour became more socialist and conservative more right wing

Question 4

who is seen as father of conservatism?

Answer 4

Edmund burke, he was horrified by the French revolution and the ideas and principles that drove it.

Question 5

what people did Burke believe should govern?

Answer 5

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

Question 6

what are some of the basic beliefs of conservatism?

Answer 6

*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

Question 7

what was the state of the conservative party after ww1?

Answer 7

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

Question 8

how did the liberal ideas of the conservative party change in the 1970s?

Answer 8

thatcher transformed the party, pushed laissez faire policy and Neo-liberal policy

Question 9

what are the common themes in liberalism?

Answer 9

consent, freedom and focus on the rational individual

Question 10

what are some core ideas of liberalism?

Answer 10

• govt is necessary and activities can only be justified by consent
  *govt activity should be limited, in the economic sphere

Question 11

what was Jeremy benthams argument?

Answer 11

father of utilitarianism, decisions should be taken on the basis of the greatest happiness for the greatest number

Question 12

what is the problem with benthams argument?

Answer 12

if the opinion of the majority prevails, it could be misinformed

Question 13

what are some of the problems faced by liberalism?

Answer 13

industrial capitalism created widespread misery, should the state intervene
how far should the state intervene in the economy

Question 14

what did T.H Green argue?

Answer 14

‘new’ liberalism state should intervene to provide individuals the chance to realise their potential

Question 15

what did Herbert Spencer argue?

Answer 15

social darwinism, government interference prevents the operation of natures supreme law, laissez faire individualism

Question 16

what did John Rawls argue about laissez faire?

Answer 16

he justified state intervention in providing security but nothing else it should be a ‘nightwatchman state’

Question 17

what is the term liberal used as in the US?

Answer 17

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

Question 18

what is the problem with using the term liberal in the US?

Answer 18

the people who use the term liberal are just another form of liberal e.g those who claim Obamacare infringes individual liberty

Question 19

what is the impact on populism on liberalism?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

what is a nationalist?

Answer 20

someone who makes the independence and interests of a nation their overriding priority

Question 21

when was the concept of the nation born?

Answer 21

1648, treaty of Westphalia , nations defined by territory

Question 22

how has the idea of the nation changed?

Answer 22

national boundaries since 1648 have changed drastically, in the Middle East and Africa boundaries have been drawn in an arbitrary fashion.

Question 23

when does nationalism tend to flourish?

Answer 23

people feel they are being misgoverned , by non-nationals feel resentment. or even greater grievances of feeling nationality is endangered or losing its independence

Question 24

what is an example of USA nationalism?

Answer 24

make America great again, calling the government insufficient

Question 25

what is the difference between patriotism and nationalism?

Answer 25

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

Question 26

what is the best example of UK nationalism?

Answer 26

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

Question 27

what is the key takeaway for nationalism in Falkland conflict?

Answer 27

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

Question 28

what is civic nationalism?

Answer 28

implies that all those living within a state who identify with that state should be considered members of the nation

Question 29

what is ethnic nationalism?

Answer 29

excludes individuals who are first, second, third etc generation immigrants. people not born within a country not a member of nation

Question 30

what act did Atlee government pass which embodied civic nationalism?

Answer 30

British Nationality Act, anyone born within the British empire or commonwealth now had right to settle in UK, this was seen as costless exercise

Question 31

what was the impact on nationalism of the Nationality Act?

Answer 31

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

Question 32

what is the ultimate expression of ethnic nationalism?

Answer 32

fascism, practised in Nazi Germany, driven by ethnic nationalism to drive out anyone who isn’t pure

Question 33

how is nationalism different from other ideologies?

Answer 33

not best understood as an ideology but as a tool which represents different ideological traditions, could almost be described as political stance

Question 34

what did Karl Marx claim history was?

Answer 34

all history has been record of struggle for supremacy between social classes

Question 35

how did Marx explain class and society would progress?

Answer 35

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

Question 36

what will happen to the state when the proletariat wins?

Answer 36

briefly the state will control means of production, after this state control will be replaced by social ownership and the state will wither away

Question 37

what does Marx say is the only way socialism can be achieved?

Answer 37

socialism cannot be established without revolutionary change, everyone will then forget the violence and live peacefully

Question 38

what are key points in socialism?

Answer 38

1. human beings are naturally cooperative and can only thrive under economic equality
2. capitalism created competition which results in inequality
3. capitalism is evil, and contains seeds of its own destruction
4. capitalism has been productive which once overthrown ensures enough resources for all

Question 39

what does socialist revisionism argue?

Answer 39

is violent revolution necessary, or can capitalism be humanised

Question 40

what did Eduard Bernstein claim about revolution (revisionism)?

Answer 40

revolution can happen through democracy, the acceptance of democratic principles raised a possibility that equality could be established without violence

Question 41

what do the revisionists Galbraith and Crosland argue?

Answer 41

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

Question 42

For Marx what were the perfect conditions for revolution?

Answer 42

a fully progressed capitalist economy

Question 43

why was Russian revolution not perfect conditions for revolution?

Answer 43

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

Question 44

what are the connotations of socialism?

Answer 44

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

Question 45

how had the Labour Party adopted socialist principles?

Answer 45

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

Question 46

how have labour strayed away from socialism?

Answer 46

Tony Blair removed clause iv and accepted capitalism as money generating method, but was still committed to social justice

Question 47

what are the beliefs of Liberal feminism?

Answer 47

women and me should have equal political, social and economic rights.

Question 48

what are the key beliefs of socialist feminism?

Answer 48

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

Question 49

what are key beliefs of radical feminists?

Answer 49

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

Question 50

what is environmentalism?

Answer 50

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

Question 51

why does environmentalism criticise liberalism?

Answer 51

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

Question 52

how have prominent liberals expressed their view on environment?

Answer 52

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”

Question 53

how does environmentalism criticise conservatism?

Answer 53

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

Question 54

what have conservatives said about the environment?

Answer 54

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

Question 55

what are some of the problems faced by environmentalism?

Answer 55

1. how do they convey their message without relying on tech and resources that exploit earths resources
2. difficult to be environmentalist without slight hypocrisy
3. other challenger ideologies bring rise in dissatisfaction with liberal democracy and provides fuel for direct action rather than normal methods