Political ideology is a set of ideas, beliefs and guiding principles endorsed by an individual or a group in regards to the social and political world and how society should operate. (Freeden, 2003, p. 32; Dowsett, 2011)
Political ideology provides a perspective on political issues and helps shape the nature of political systems. Religions were the earliest ideology and priests were the earliest rulers in history. Though the ideologies in modern age have become increasingly secular, religion still continues to serve as an important source for it.
Many political parties use ideology to base their political actions. It can also act as a form of social cement, providing social groups with a set of unifying beliefs and values. Consciously or not, everyone has a set of political beliefs and values that shape their lives and how they view the world. (Heywood, 2017)
Spectrum and types of ideologies (200)
Ideologies usually identify themselves by their position on a political spectrum, ranging from far left-wing perspectives to far right-wing perspectives.
DiGirolamo, M. (2016, July 25). What are left and right in US politics? Retrieved from https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-717503c8fd05f96cb46a829cf8b88446.webp
The Left is:
Considered to be “liberal,” “democratic,” “progressive” or “revolutionary.” The more left wing an ideology, the
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The more right wing an ideology, the more it is resistant to change. They have a strong emphasis on Equity, Meritocracy, Tradition and Economic Freedom. A typical right-wing ideology focuses on the individuals, believing in status quo, ‘survival of the fittest’ and social stratification. They support free trade, a deregulated economy and lower taxes. The right-wing community is based on morals and believes in keeping order through strict government intervention. They value traditional (and often religious) beliefs and is conservative in nature. (Bobbio, 1966; Saylor.org,
The four cornered, two dimensional grid is a breakdown of ideologies. Using the four cornered ideological grid focus on how much government control someone wants in economic and cultural matters. The gird is divided in to four ideologies: liberals, libertarians, economic liberals/ cultural conservatives, and conservatives. The two dimensional grid is more appealing because most people are not strictly conservatives or strictly liberals most people are in the center depending on the topic and the two dimensional grid support this mind set. The traditional spectrum is divided in two the right and the left. The problem with the traditional spectrum is that there is no middle ground; the linear model is not complex to show all it sides.
When it comes to my political beliefs, I am indecisive between being a Republican or a Democrat. The reason for this, is because I never really showed enough interest into learning more about politics. As for my politically ideology, I feel that I am more liberal than I am conservative. In theory, ideology is defined in two ways, “(1) Organized set of political attitudes based on underlying principles”, and “(2) a cohesive set of beliefs that form a general philosophy about the role of government” (McAtee). An Individual’s political ideology can be formed from public opinions and agents of socializations (McAtee). According to the quiz I took on “Politopia.com”, the results showed that I was “Centerville”, which means that I am in between of being a Democrat or a Republican, or that I support both sides and yet oppose to both sides.
Political ideology holds an important place when determining what to consider yourself as. The Republican Party holds a vision that is established on American traditions of family, community, and
Individualistic in that government is supposed to maintain a stable society but at the same time intervene as little as possible, and has a faith in idividual initiave. For example, Texas has a favorable support for private business and has limited government with restricted powers. On the other hand, the traditionalistic aspect of the state politics are exemplified by the long history of one-party dominance in state politics, the low level of voter turnout, and social and economic conservatism (Explaining, web). The conservative ideology (right-wing) according to Dr. Kim, is opposing government regulation of economiclife and supporting government regulation of personal life. In other words, a individual is considered a conservative when believes in personal responsibility, free markets. They believe the government should give the people a certain amount/the necessary of freedom in order to persue their own goals and interests. On the other hand, the liberal political ideology (left-wing) is known as an ideolgy that 100% supports government regulations on its citizens’ economic life. But, opposes completely on government regulation of personal life. Liberals, see as an necessity for governent to solve problems, and believe the role of government must be
Before we ask ourselves why ideology has become such an important concept in the modern age, let’s first see how different authors in different times have defined ideology. I combined the most thoughtful and influential definitions that circulate within the social sciences in the postwar decades. All these definitions have revealed the extent to which ideology remains a very flexible conceptual tool. To some of the authors, ideology is dogmatic, while the others say it carries connotations of political experience. Others think its basis is of concrete interests of a social class while others say it is a characteristic of an absence of economic interests. In the book titled “The Authoritarian Personality”, ideology has been defined as an organization of attitudes, opinions and values. It is a way of thinking about people and their society with respect to the different areas of social life: economics, politics, minority groups, religion and so forth (Adorno, 1950). Loewenstein also defined ideology as a consistent integrated patterns of belief and thoughts that explains man’s
- During the twentieth century conservatism lost their faith in a central government and focussed on the rights of property, independent of the state, and the rights of individuals to be free of government interference
When it comes to the issues dealt with by all Americans, you generally have few choices with which to align yourself. You can either decide to stand on the right, taking a conservative viewpoint: believing in personal responsibility, limited government, free market, etc. with notable parties such as the Republican Party and the Peace and Freedom Party. Alternatively, you can stand on the left, taking the more liberal route: holding ideals such as government action and equal opportunity. Those parties include the Democratic Party and the Green Party. However, it is not a black and white cutoff between conservative and liberal, rather a circular spectrum going to the far left, the far right, and meeting back up. Therefore, there are many places one can stand on any given issue.
From their earliest formation, political parties have been a controversial aspect that have both strengthened and weakened the United States. It has a massive effect on voters, congress, and policymaking in the government. Party polarization is the prominent division that exists between parties, most noticeably Democrats and Republicans, because of the extreme differences of the ideological beliefs of the opposing parties. In the past, many individuals considered themselves “mixed” and did not associate themselves with just one side. According to www.pewresearch.org, “the share of Americans who express consistently conservative or consistently liberal opinions has doubled over the past two decades”. Every year less and less people consider
A survey can be defined as a gathering of a sample of data or opinions considered to be representative of a whole. Such as when the United States government polls a random selection of people throughout the country to get an accurate reading of the people's overall prospective of what the American people think is best for the country. As I almost reach the age of eighteen, not only do I have to start worrying about my career and college, I have to affliate myself with a party and prepare to vote. I have taken three online polls and they all came out with similar results; I am a republican. The three polls I took were The Political Affiliation Quiz, The Political Quiz, and Political Compass. I liked them all but all for various reasons.
Carroll, Doherty. 2014. "7 things to know about polarization in America." Pew Research Center, June 12. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/12/7-things-to-know-about-polarization-in-america/ (March, 2015).
Democratic politicians earn reputations as liberals and Republicans earn reputations as conservatives. These stereotypes then provide useful cues regarding what Democrats and Rep...
Democratic representatives scream about "right-wing conspiracy" while radio talk shows lament the evil of "liberal agenda." News broadcasters are branded as "chauvinist conservatives" by Hollywood pundits or "liberal bigots" by Christian broadcasters. Everywhere someone is firing the label gun, plastering liberal or conservative on their opponents, and many Americans are scratching their heads trying to understand the division and difference between both. Liberalism, formed in the latter part of the 18th Century from opposition to existing political monarchies in Europe, was based on rights of individuals and the responsibility of government to protect those rights. Conservative philosophy was born as a reaction to dangerous tendencies detected within the liberal movement toward excessive governmental control.
A Political Culture is a set of beliefs and practices held by how a person shapes their political behavior, and a person’s attitude about how the government should function. This includes moral judgment, political myths, beliefs, and ideas about what makes a good society.
A political ideology is a coherent system of political ideas and beliefs that provide us with visions of what the good society should look like and a road map regarding how to bring it about.
These coherent ideas make conservatism a legitimate ideology. The core beliefs of conservatism are tradition, human imperfection, organic society, authority, and property. Conservatists believe that change propels society into the unknown and creates a state of chaos and fear endangering happiness. To the conservative, tradition needs to defend prior institutions, placing a high value on past knowledge and the belief that those that stand the test of time ought to be protected. Creating a sense of identity and providing reassurances by practicing customs and traditions is strong conservative