POLITICAL IDEOLOGY

Question 1

What is a political ideology?

Answer 1

• Shapes an individual/group’s view on political, social, and economic issues
• guides decision making and policy making

Question 2

What are the political ideologies?

Answer 2

Socialism
Social democracy
Democratic socialism
Communism
Conservatism
Liberalism
Anarchism
Fascism

Question 3

What is socialism?

Answer 3

• Economic and political system where the means of production (factories, land, resources) are owned and controlled by the community/state rather than individuals
• goal is to ensure equal access to resources by distributing wealth more evenly across society

Question 4

What is social democracy?

Answer 4

• combines elements of socialism and democracy
• supports a mixed economy where both private businesses and the government play a role in the economy
• aims to reduce inequality and provide social welfare programs (healthcare, education) while maintaining democratic institutions

NOTE:
democracy :
Democracy is a system of government in which state power is vested in the people or the general population of a state. Laws, policies, leadership, and major undertakings of a state or other polity are directly or indirectly decided by the “people”

Question 5

What is democratic socialism?

Answer 5

• combines principles of socialism with democratic governance
• advocates for the public or collective ownership of key industries and resources along with extensive social awareness programs
• emphasizes the importance of democracy, ensuring that changes are made through democratic processes and respecting individual rights and freedoms

Question 6

What is the difference between social democracy and democratic socialism?

Answer 6

SOCIAL DEMOCRACY - supports mixed economies with both private and public sectors
- Focuses on reforming capitalism to reduce inequality (social welfare programs) while maintaining democratic governance and individual freedoms

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM - seeks to REPLACE capitalism with system where key industries are publicly owned/controlled
- still operated within democratic framework
- aims for more extensive public control and wealth redistribution compared to social democracy

Question 7

What is communism?

Answer 7

• advocates for a classless society
• property and resources are communally owned, with no private ownership
• government/community manages all aspects of production and distribution to ensure equal access to goods and services
• aims to eliminate social and economic inequalities

Question 8

What is conservatism?

Answer 8

• emphasizes preserving traditional institutions, values, and practices
• advocates for individual liberties, limited government intervention, and maintaining established social norms
• gradual change ✅

Question 9

What is liberalism

Answer 9

• values individual freedom and equality
• supports government intervention to address social inequalities and ensure basic rights
• freedom, equality before the law

Question 10

What is anarchism?

Answer 10

• society without centralized authority/government
• self-managed, stateless society
• based on voluntary cooperation and mutual aid
• believes that people can organize and govern themselves

Question 11

What is fascism?

Answer 11

• centralized, authoritarian government led by a dictatorial leader
• extreme nationalism, suppresses political dissent, often includes elements of racism and militarism
• rejects democracy

Question 12

What are the main tenets of socialism?

Answer 12

SOCIAL EQUALITY (aiming to reduce disparities in wealth and opportunity)

FRATERNITY (solidarity and mutual support among the society)

COLLECTIVE OWNERSHIP (communal/state ownership of resources and means of production)

EQUAL ALLOCATION (distributing resources and wealth evenly, ensures everyone’s access to basic needs and services)