Fiveable
Fiveable

or

Log in

Find what you need to study


Light

Find what you need to study

3.3 Political Ideologies

4 min readdecember 28, 2022

kelly-cotton

kelly-cotton

I

Isabela Padilha Vilela

kelly-cotton

kelly-cotton

I

Isabela Padilha Vilela

In this part of the unit, we will start to analyze the ways in which people view the political system. Politics is all about the hinges of people and the government, and this has highly evolved over time!

Think about your own ! How do they help you understand the world around you? Do you consider them important? For Political Scientist they are indeed very relevant to understand the political environment of distinct nations.

Topic 3.3, , simply asks you to identify the six outlined in the CED. Normally, we would start with vocabulary, but in essence, the ideologies are the vocabulary of 3.3, so let us look at the ideologies.

Aspects of Political Ideologies

(definitions below are all courtesy of the AP Comparative Government CED)

Individualism 🕺- belief in individual civil liberties and freedom over governmental restrictions. The U.S. is a prime example of this type of political ideology, but of course, this is not one of your course countries. The UK has some of this political ideology ingrained in its political culture, but most of the core countries ascribe more to nationalism than individualism.

Neoliberalism 💸 —belief in limited governmental intervention in the economy and society, supports privatization, free trade, deregulation, and the elimination of state subsidies. Neoliberalism became a predominant political-economic ideology in the 1980s and 1990s, and was adopted by many Developing countries during the time period. For example, in Nigeria 🇳🇬 during the period of the 1980s the government adopted several Neoliberalist strategies to get over a financial crisis. the government adopted the SAP (Structural Adjustment Program) to join efforts from other developing countries to promote economic growth above all else.

Communism 🧧—belief in the abolition of private property with near-total governmental control of the economy. The Chinese 🇨🇳 CCP (Chinese Communist Party) has adopted a Marxist-Leninist ideology that is based on the principles of , , , which grants the party the power as the leading force to solve these main issues.

👥 —belief in the reduction of income disparities and the nationalization of major private industries. For example, the brought upon Russia 🇷🇺 in 1917 a socialist state. From this year until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian government brought upon socialist economic strategies, with the central planing of the economy and of oil enterprises.

😤 —extreme nationalist ideology that favors and the rights of the over that of ethnic minorities and the political opposition. None of the course countries analyzed have fascist states, and it is important to recognize that even the states with more authoritarian regimes (such as Iran and Russia) are not necessarily considered Fascists. There may be an overlap of characteristics, but calling these states fascists is not correct.

📣—political philosophy that supports the interests and rights of the common people over that of the elites. It is important to remember that is not linked to liberal nor conservative ideologies necessarily. in Mexico 🇲🇽 has played an important role, and president AMLO (from the party MORENA) is considered a populist leader.

Your job is to be able to define each of the above and then be able to identify where we see the ideologies above in our course countries. For instance, neoliberalism is a political ideology more commonly found in the democratic regimes of the UK, Mexico, and Nigeria. However, the UK has elements of , for instance, their national health care system. In Russia and China, we see varying degrees of communism. In the UK, the idea of the Noblesse Oblige encompasses some aspects of .

💡Remember: "" is a french term that appeals to the idea that those in the nobility, or rather, in political offices, should use their power for the benefit of ordinary folks.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2Foriginal-GBmxCFidQDZI.webp?alt=media&token=6717644c-e853-47c3-8c85-747d534bce02

As a student be sure that you can identify elements of the above within the political culture of the core course countries. Keep in mind that these are not all the aspects that define political ideology, which is why understanding the history of each country is important to understand the historical and cultural aspects that composes a state's ideology.

➡️ Next up, we will examine how topic 3.4 Political Beliefs and Values asks you to take the above and examine how conflicting within a state impacts how that state treats its citizens and deals with specific problems it faces. So let us tackle this next topic.

Key Terms to Review (15)

Authoritarian rule

: Authoritarian rule refers to a type of governance where power is concentrated in one leader or small group without meaningful accountability or checks on their authority. It often involves limited political freedoms, suppression of opposition, and strict control over society.

Bolshevik Revolution

: The Bolshevik Revolution refers to the uprising led by Vladimir Lenin in 1917 that overthrew the Russian Provisional Government during World War I. This revolution established Soviet Russia as a socialist state.

Central planning

: Central planning refers to an economic system where key decisions regarding production, distribution, and resource allocation are made by a central authority or government rather than through market forces.

Class struggle

: Class struggle refers to the conflict between different social classes in society, particularly between the working class (proletariat) and owning class (bourgeoisie), over resources, wealth distribution, and power.

Dialectic materialism

: Dialectic materialism is an approach to understanding society that emphasizes how social change occurs through contradictions, conflicts, and struggles between different classes. It focuses on analyzing historical processes based on material conditions rather than abstract ideas.

Dictatorship of the proletariat

: The dictatorship of the proletariat refers to a temporary period after a socialist revolution where the working class holds political power and suppresses the bourgeoisie.

Ethnic Majority

: An ethnic majority refers to a group of people who make up the largest portion of a population based on their shared ethnicity or race.

Fascism

: Fascism is an authoritarian political ideology characterized by dictatorial power, extreme nationalism, suppression of opposition, and strong control over society. It often involves a single leader who promotes aggressive policies and suppresses individual freedoms.

MORENA (party)

: MORENA is a political party in Mexico founded by Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) that promotes left-wing policies such as social welfare programs, anti-corruption measures, and economic nationalism.

Noblesse Oblige

: Noblesse Oblige refers to the moral obligation of those who are privileged or in positions of power to act with generosity and responsibility towards those who are less fortunate.

Political Ideologies

: Political ideologies are sets of beliefs and values that shape individuals' views on how a society should be governed and organized.

Populism

: Populism is a political approach that seeks to appeal to ordinary people by presenting themselves as champions against an elite or establishment, often using simplistic rhetoric and promising quick solutions to complex issues.

Socialism

: Socialism is an economic and political system where the means of production, distribution, and exchange are owned or regulated by the community as a whole. It aims to reduce social inequalities and promote collective welfare.

State ownership

: State ownership refers to the government's control and ownership of industries, businesses, or resources within a country. It means that the state has the power to make decisions about how these assets are used and distributed.

Structural Adjustment Program (SAP)

: A Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) refers to a set of economic policies imposed by international financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on developing countries in exchange for financial assistance. These programs often involve implementing austerity measures, privatizing state-owned enterprises, and liberalizing trade.

3.3 Political Ideologies

4 min readdecember 28, 2022

kelly-cotton

kelly-cotton

I

Isabela Padilha Vilela

kelly-cotton

kelly-cotton

I

Isabela Padilha Vilela

In this part of the unit, we will start to analyze the ways in which people view the political system. Politics is all about the hinges of people and the government, and this has highly evolved over time!

Think about your own ! How do they help you understand the world around you? Do you consider them important? For Political Scientist they are indeed very relevant to understand the political environment of distinct nations.

Topic 3.3, , simply asks you to identify the six outlined in the CED. Normally, we would start with vocabulary, but in essence, the ideologies are the vocabulary of 3.3, so let us look at the ideologies.

Aspects of Political Ideologies

(definitions below are all courtesy of the AP Comparative Government CED)

Individualism 🕺- belief in individual civil liberties and freedom over governmental restrictions. The U.S. is a prime example of this type of political ideology, but of course, this is not one of your course countries. The UK has some of this political ideology ingrained in its political culture, but most of the core countries ascribe more to nationalism than individualism.

Neoliberalism 💸 —belief in limited governmental intervention in the economy and society, supports privatization, free trade, deregulation, and the elimination of state subsidies. Neoliberalism became a predominant political-economic ideology in the 1980s and 1990s, and was adopted by many Developing countries during the time period. For example, in Nigeria 🇳🇬 during the period of the 1980s the government adopted several Neoliberalist strategies to get over a financial crisis. the government adopted the SAP (Structural Adjustment Program) to join efforts from other developing countries to promote economic growth above all else.

Communism 🧧—belief in the abolition of private property with near-total governmental control of the economy. The Chinese 🇨🇳 CCP (Chinese Communist Party) has adopted a Marxist-Leninist ideology that is based on the principles of , , , which grants the party the power as the leading force to solve these main issues.

👥 —belief in the reduction of income disparities and the nationalization of major private industries. For example, the brought upon Russia 🇷🇺 in 1917 a socialist state. From this year until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian government brought upon socialist economic strategies, with the central planing of the economy and of oil enterprises.

😤 —extreme nationalist ideology that favors and the rights of the over that of ethnic minorities and the political opposition. None of the course countries analyzed have fascist states, and it is important to recognize that even the states with more authoritarian regimes (such as Iran and Russia) are not necessarily considered Fascists. There may be an overlap of characteristics, but calling these states fascists is not correct.

📣—political philosophy that supports the interests and rights of the common people over that of the elites. It is important to remember that is not linked to liberal nor conservative ideologies necessarily. in Mexico 🇲🇽 has played an important role, and president AMLO (from the party MORENA) is considered a populist leader.

Your job is to be able to define each of the above and then be able to identify where we see the ideologies above in our course countries. For instance, neoliberalism is a political ideology more commonly found in the democratic regimes of the UK, Mexico, and Nigeria. However, the UK has elements of , for instance, their national health care system. In Russia and China, we see varying degrees of communism. In the UK, the idea of the Noblesse Oblige encompasses some aspects of .

💡Remember: "" is a french term that appeals to the idea that those in the nobility, or rather, in political offices, should use their power for the benefit of ordinary folks.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2Foriginal-GBmxCFidQDZI.webp?alt=media&token=6717644c-e853-47c3-8c85-747d534bce02

As a student be sure that you can identify elements of the above within the political culture of the core course countries. Keep in mind that these are not all the aspects that define political ideology, which is why understanding the history of each country is important to understand the historical and cultural aspects that composes a state's ideology.

➡️ Next up, we will examine how topic 3.4 Political Beliefs and Values asks you to take the above and examine how conflicting within a state impacts how that state treats its citizens and deals with specific problems it faces. So let us tackle this next topic.

Key Terms to Review (15)

Authoritarian rule

: Authoritarian rule refers to a type of governance where power is concentrated in one leader or small group without meaningful accountability or checks on their authority. It often involves limited political freedoms, suppression of opposition, and strict control over society.

Bolshevik Revolution

: The Bolshevik Revolution refers to the uprising led by Vladimir Lenin in 1917 that overthrew the Russian Provisional Government during World War I. This revolution established Soviet Russia as a socialist state.

Central planning

: Central planning refers to an economic system where key decisions regarding production, distribution, and resource allocation are made by a central authority or government rather than through market forces.

Class struggle

: Class struggle refers to the conflict between different social classes in society, particularly between the working class (proletariat) and owning class (bourgeoisie), over resources, wealth distribution, and power.

Dialectic materialism

: Dialectic materialism is an approach to understanding society that emphasizes how social change occurs through contradictions, conflicts, and struggles between different classes. It focuses on analyzing historical processes based on material conditions rather than abstract ideas.

Dictatorship of the proletariat

: The dictatorship of the proletariat refers to a temporary period after a socialist revolution where the working class holds political power and suppresses the bourgeoisie.

Ethnic Majority

: An ethnic majority refers to a group of people who make up the largest portion of a population based on their shared ethnicity or race.

Fascism

: Fascism is an authoritarian political ideology characterized by dictatorial power, extreme nationalism, suppression of opposition, and strong control over society. It often involves a single leader who promotes aggressive policies and suppresses individual freedoms.

MORENA (party)

: MORENA is a political party in Mexico founded by Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) that promotes left-wing policies such as social welfare programs, anti-corruption measures, and economic nationalism.

Noblesse Oblige

: Noblesse Oblige refers to the moral obligation of those who are privileged or in positions of power to act with generosity and responsibility towards those who are less fortunate.

Political Ideologies

: Political ideologies are sets of beliefs and values that shape individuals' views on how a society should be governed and organized.

Populism

: Populism is a political approach that seeks to appeal to ordinary people by presenting themselves as champions against an elite or establishment, often using simplistic rhetoric and promising quick solutions to complex issues.

Socialism

: Socialism is an economic and political system where the means of production, distribution, and exchange are owned or regulated by the community as a whole. It aims to reduce social inequalities and promote collective welfare.

State ownership

: State ownership refers to the government's control and ownership of industries, businesses, or resources within a country. It means that the state has the power to make decisions about how these assets are used and distributed.

Structural Adjustment Program (SAP)

: A Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) refers to a set of economic policies imposed by international financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on developing countries in exchange for financial assistance. These programs often involve implementing austerity measures, privatizing state-owned enterprises, and liberalizing trade.


© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.


© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.