Political Ideologies Essay

The aim of this essay is to compare and contrast the political ideologies of two major political parties in post-apartheid South Africa .Firstly I will define the terms ideology and political party and briefly explain the different types of political ideologies .The second part of this essay will identify the ideologies and set out the similarities and differences between the two parties in case study which are the African National Congress (ANC) and the Congress of the People(COPE) .I will then make an evaluation which will conclude the discussion.

PART A

Definition of Terms

The word ideology has been defined in many different ways in the political arena .According to McClellan (1986:1); it is “The most elusive concept in the whole of social science”. Erikson and Tedin (2003) define it is a “a set of beliefs about the proper order of society and how it can be achieved” .However for the sake of this paper I have found Baradat’s definition most applicable .He defines ideology as an organised and interrelated group of ideas that instruct and guide the moves of political leaders and their parties ,(Baradat:1997) .Political parties are, “organizations that are formed around a particular vision of society and are interested in contesting state power and forming a government”(Ware:1996) .Political parties therefore use these ideologies to attract and gather masses in order to gain political mileage.

Types of Ideologies

Socialism is one of the ideologies in the political arena .According to Marx (1848), human beings are social by nature and society should respect this .Socialism is grounded on the premise that the individual should produce as much as possible .Its features are collectivism, central economic planning, public ownersh...

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REFERENCE LIST

ANC,2014.ANCManifesto. [Online]. Available from: http://www.anc.org.za/2014/manifesto/

Baradat, L, P 1997.Political Ideologies: Their Origins and Impact. New Jersey, Prentice Hall, 6th Edition

Congress of the People.2013.Congress of the People Manifesto. [Online].Available from: http://www.congressofthepeople.org.za

Dobb, M, H. 1946. Studies in the Development of Capitalism. London: Routledge and Keagan Paul

Erikson R S, Tedin KL .2003.American Public Opinion. New York: Longman 6th edition

Lincoln A. 2009 .The Gettysburg Address

Marx K .1848. The Communist Manifesto

McLellan D .1986.Ideology Minneapolis. Univ. Minn. Press

Mill, J S. 1859. On Liberty

Smith A. 2008. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations: A Selected Edition

Ware.A.1996 .Political Parties and Party Systems .Oxford: Oxford University Press