Political Ideologies

Capitalism (right wing) Is about ‘competition’ Is conservative (likes traditional ideas) Is about making a profit and having the right to get rich. In Australia this is traditionally the Liberal Party. Democracy Everyone has the power and leaders are elected.

Democracy Everyone has the power and leaders are elected. Socialism (left wing) Is about co-operation (sharing) Is about changing ideas of society Is about sharing resources and helping everyone in society. Is traditionally the Labour Party.

Dictatorship One person rules the country how they see fit. Fascism Is extreme right wing Is about being extremely patriotic about your country. Wants to take over other countries. Germany and Italy

Dictatorship One person rules the country how they see fit. Communism Extreme left wing Is about earning money for the ‘good’ of the people. Everyone is equal, no one is above anyone else, apart from the leader. China and Russia

Key Point Although communists and fascists seem to be opposites, they share a number of common characteristics. Their extreme beliefs means that they have very few supporters, with the result that they rely on harsh dictatorship to make sure that their orders are followed – in other words, they share a common ground of intolerance. (they don’t like other nationalities or new ideas)

Foreign affairs International – countries should work together to ensure peace and Understanding Countries should be abolished altogether – a ‘world revolution’ should create one massive brotherhood of man Countries are destined to fight each other to the death Countries should try to preserve their independence – ‘vive la difference’! Tax100% tax and no private property – the government can then provide everything that people need Very low taxes; raise money instead by colonising less economically developed countries Low Taxes so people can choose how to spend their money (e.g. on private education, pensions, healthcare) High Taxes to pay for lots of public services (e.g. free education, pensions, healthcare) especially for the disadvantaged IndustryPrivatise industries and work closely with powerful businesspeople to keep the workers in their place Privatise key industries so there can be more competition and cheaper prices Nationalise key industries so long term strategies can be developed Nationalise all industries and work closely with the workers to break the power of the former The State Emotional: The state should be small and keep out of the lives of its citizens; its role should be to inspire patriotism Functional: The State needs to be large to look after the people, but is simply a tool to do a job Functional: The state will start off massive, but will eventually ‘wither away’ once the perfect society has been made. Emotional: The role of the state should be to inspire such patriotism that people think “my country, right or wrong

Foreign affairs International – countries should work together to ensure peace and Understanding Countries should be abolished altogether – a ‘world revolution’ should create one massive brotherhood of man Countries are destined to fight each other to the death Countries should try to preserve their independence – ‘vive la difference’! Tax100% tax and no private property – the government can then provide everything that people need Very low taxes; raise money instead by colonising less economically developed countries Low Taxes so people can choose how to spend their money (e.g. on private education, pensions, healthcare) High Taxes to pay for lots of public services (e.g. free education, pensions, healthcare) especially for the disadvantaged IndustryPrivatise industries and work closely with powerful businesspeople to keep the workers in their place Privatise key industries so there can be more competition and cheaper prices Nationalise key industries so long term strategies can be developed Nationalise all industries and work closely with the workers to break the power of the former The State Emotional: The state should be small and keep out of the lives of its citizens; its role should be to inspire patriotism Functional: The State needs to be large to look after the people, but is simply a tool to do a job Functional: The state will start off massive, but will eventually ‘wither away’ once the perfect society has been made. Emotional: The role of the state should be to inspire such patriotism that people think “my country, right or wrong

Answer the following questions: 1.What are the main differences between democracy and dictatorships? 2.What are the main differences between capitalism and communism? 3.What are the main differences between fascism and communism? 4.What do you think most people would be in class? 5.What evidence is there that Australia is democratic? 6.What evidence is there that Australia is mostly capitalist? 7.“Democracies are less efficient than dictatorships”. On this basis, do you think that Australia should become a dictatorship?

TEASER Topic sentence A short, punchy sentence that introduces the topic, theme, idea, event or leader of that paragraph Explanation A sentence or two explain what it was, who they were, what it involved or what happened, i.e. a summary Aims What was the event, idea, theme or leader hoping to achieve? Explain its function and/or motives Significance An evaluation (yours and/or other historians') of the importance of your particular topic Evidence Support your explanation with a quotation or two, statistics paraphrasing other historians Refer back Finally, link back to the question and the argument you have clearly articulated in your introduction

Germany was an extremely unstable country in the years immediately after World War 1. The Weimar republic was perceived as being extremely weak, and did not have widespread support from the people of Germany, the military, political groups such as communists or the older politicians still loyal to the Keiser. The Weimar republic hoped to bring economic stability to Germany, but often had to fight off uprisings from other extreme political groups. This was a significant event in the history of Germany, and led eventually to the rise of Hitler and Nazi party. The Weimer Government was weak without the support of the military, which made them believe they could take power. The people felt very unhappy as reparation was causing unemployment to be high and widespread poverty throughout Germany, leading to many supporting extreme political groups such as the Communists. This is why Germany was considered unstable after World War 1.