Unit 4 Flashcards
a system of political beliefs that tries to explain the world and includes a vision of what is “right”. It also tries to justify certain power relations and tries to maintain or transform existing institutions.
Ideology
Progressives (extreme left)
These types of ideologies are quite radical and extreme and include anarchists, communists, and socialists. They want institutional change to achieve equality in society. They want BIG CHANGE in how society normally functions.
Reactionaries (extreme right)
On the opposite end of the extreme are the reactionaries. These types of ideologies also want change. However, they want change to bring us all backwards, to some perceived ‘golden age’ of the past. This ideology is against equality and wants to return to a ‘natural hierarchy’. Examples of groups with this ideology include fascism and Nazism.
Liberals (centre left)
Liberal ideology typically falls in between the extreme left and right. They are reform-oriented in that they want to see change in the form of more equality. Focused on government creating new programs to improve peoples lives. Examples of groups within this ideology are the Liberal Party of Canada, the Democratic Party of the United States, and the German Free Democratic Party.
This ideology emphasizes the importance of order, authority, and tradition. However, unlike reactionaries who want to revert to past ways, conservatives want to keep the status quo. Unlike liberals, they don’t believe in social engineering.
Conservatives (centre right)
Social conservatism
focus on traditional family values. Against same-sex marriage and abortion.
Fiscal conservatism
- want less government involvement in the economy and retrenchment of the welfare state. Do not like stimulus spending or increasing taxes in order to increase spending on things like health care or education.
Aristotle put forth that
humans are naturally social and political animals (unlike beasts or gods who could live a solitary life). Humans are most alive when participating in political life. He felt that the best states are those where governing occurs for the good of all, because interests of one are the interests of everybody else.
Rousseau argued that
argued that private property is the root of problems, leading to inequality. People are naturally good, but have been corrupted by certain types of government and institutions. Therefore, there is a need an enlightened leaderto govern for the good of all.
everybody “has the same rights” (on paper: in laws and the constitution)
Formal equality
everybody is “actually able to access the same opportunities by holding and exercising those rights” (when push comes to shove, are the rights only on paper or do they exist in the real world???)
Substantive equality
private ownership and operation, market forces decide what happens, very limited government involvement in anything, “laissez-faire”.
Capitalism
government plays larger role in the economy, public ownership, regulation of market, redistribution of resources
Socialism
