Key concepts: LiberalismMarxism CapitalismSocialism CommunismFascism AnarchismConservatism

 Liberalism is the dominant ideology in western democracies Stresses individual rights and freedom of choice Role of government is to promote personal freedom and reduce inequities

 Two of the most influential thinkers in the creation of liberalism  Both believed that humans are equal and independent  According to Locke and J. S. Mill, humans have inalienable rights: Life, liberty, equality and property

 People are: born free and equal rational and reasonable  People must give consent to the government in order for it gain power  Primary role of government is to protect freedom and security

 Accepted Locke’s ideas of liberalism but believed in unrestricted self expression and independence  Humans should have the ability to pursue their own interests in whatever way they so choose, as long as it does not interfere with the right of others to do the same

 Stresses a moral responsibility to respect past traditions, cultures and habits Can be cultural, religious or personal  Change must occur slowly  Rejects violent or revolutionary changes

 Leader in developing ideology of conservatism  Believed in a social contract among all of humanity – living, dead and yet to be born

 Burke wrote about the French Revolution Rejected the idea of dramatic and radical change in such a short period of time Idea justified by Reign of Terror

 Ideology based primarily on the principles of economic freedom  Basic ideas of capitalism were introduced by Adam Smith

 Smith argued that individuals are motivated by self-interest to improve their situation  This results in an (unintentional) improvement in the economic well-being of society  Writing at a time of great change in Europe as England began the industrial revolution  Personal wealth was becoming easier to obtain More opportunities for people to look out for individual interests

 Introduces the concept of an “invisible hand” that guides the economy  Individuals works to provide personal economic security while at the same time promoting the interests of society Eg. Individuals innovate, create the best products and services they can to compete in a market. This benefits the consumer.

 Socialism is based on principles of collectivism  In particular socialism focuses on the rights and interests of the working class  Two main branches of socialism: Marxism (scientific socialism, communism) Democratic socialism (social democracy)

 Generally considered the father of socialism  Marx divided society into two main classes: The Proletariat (the working class) The Bourgeoisie (the ruling class)  Marx believe that these two classes were in constant struggle Most societal problems could be attributed to this struggle the proletariat is a revolutionary class who will eventually overthrow the ruling class creating a society where there is equality without class distinctions; production and well-being is controlled by the state

 Private property should be abolished  Only workers should profit from their labour, not the employers or owners of companies  Because every worker has a stake in the enterprise they have incentive to work harder

 Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto which outlined many of his ideas  Communism as we know it today differs from what Marx’s original ideas  Marxism is a form of communism based on Marx’s ideas but upon learned what the so-called Marxists were practicing, Marx declared that he was NOT a Marxist.

 Communism owes as much to Karl Marx as it does to Vladimir Lenin  Like socialism, communism is concerned with collective interests and the struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeiosie

 Lenin expanded on the ideas of Marx to include a greater role of the government  In Lenin’s model, once the proletariat became the government, it would maintain total control over society  Private property would be abolished and each worker would work according to his/her abilities and receive according to his/her needs.

 Lenin led a communist revolution in Russia that effectively ended the rule of the Russian monarchy

 The fascist ideology can be credited to Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler  Fascism emphasized extreme nationalism, service to the state, authoritarian leadership, violence, militarism and a hatred of communism  On the other hand it is a collectivist ideology like communism  Nazi is an acronym for the National Socialist German Worker’s Party

 Founder of fascism  First published his philosophy of fascism in 1932  Believed that the state should be the primary focus of individuals In some ways it shares collectivist values with socialism Meaning to an individuals life could be found in devotion and service to the state

 Hitler believed strongly that the elite should rule The strongest, most intelligent people should rule because the rest of society was incompetent to realize or understand their needs and wants  Just as he put more value on certain individuals, he placed more value on certain races Social Darwinism  He applied this policy not just to political leadership, but to his views of mankind He used these ideas to defend the racist policies of the Nazi party

 Anarchism is an ideology that stresses the right of individuals to organize their lives free from government domination  Can range from complete freedom, to complete collectivism

 Kropotkin believed that anarchism had to rely on economic and political freedom for individuals  Individual freedom will result in the pursuit of common goals such as mutual agreements and contracts between individuals  In the absence of government regulations and laws, people will develop their own regulations that may be better suited for their specific situations