Political Spectrum

Question 1

Far left wing: Communism

Answer 1

• The belief that people should all be equal.
• There should be no difference between social classes and wealth.
• To ensure this they believe there should be no private ownership of land or businesses.
• They should all be community owned and people work collaboratively to ensure they are a success.
• In practice Communist states don’t have freedoms for the people.
• Wealth is confiscated from the rich and redistributed by force.

Question 2

Centre left: Socialism

Answer 2

• The belief that people should be helped to become more equal by the state (government).
• In Socialist states the government taxes the wealthiest larger amounts and uses the money for things such as education, healthcare and welfare (unemployment benefits and pensions).
• They believe some people are disadvantaged e.g. single parents, disabled people, so society should enable them to have help to get ahead.
• There’s less of a divide between rich and poor but it still exists.

Question 3

Centre: Liberalism

Answer 3

• The belief that people should have their freedoms protected from the government.
• In a Liberal society they believe there should be equality of opportunity to enable people to work hard to make their lives successful.
• In practice, Liberal states protect the freedoms of the people and limit the power and interference of the government.

Question 4

Conservatism: Centre right

Answer 4

• The belief that people should look after themselves as individuals.
• This encourages people to work hard and be more productive.
• There will be natural inequality because thriving economies need people in all levels of society e.g. managers and workers.
• Those who make decisions and those who follow orders.
• In Conservative states, taxes remain low because those who are successful shouldn’t have to support others.
• There is a large divide between the rich and poor.

Question 5

Far right wing: Fascism/Chauvinism

Answer 5

• The belief that people should not have equal rights or protections because some are ‘superior’ to others.
• In a fascist society some groups are PREVENTED from becoming equal to others via systematic discrimination.
• This could be based on race, religion, social class or ethnicity.
• In practice, Fascist states don’t have freedoms for the people.
• There’s a large divide between the rich and poor.