Top ten things you should know Ideologies Top ten things you should know

Your ideology is the set of ideas you have about how the world does and should work. 1

Your ideology will determine what you believe 2 is the nature of man about the past the future will be like role of government should be in society

How you see the world is influenced by 3 culture language media relationship to land environment gender religion, spirituality

Ideologies are often put on spectrums to contrast different belief systems 4

Radical Revolutionary The most common spectrums use right wing versus left wing 5 Radical Revolutionary Democratic Socialist Modern Liberal Classical Liberal Fascist Communist Reactionary

Right wing beliefs include: 6 Right wing beliefs include: Individualism should be promoted Need to conserve traditions (especially religious) Competition pushes us to succeed Free-market (capitalism) is the best economic system There should be limited government intervention unless it threatens the status quo Private property and business is ideal Profit is what motivates us to do better

Left wing beliefs include: 7 Left wing beliefs include: Collectivism should be promoted Need to embrace change (and at times reject religion) Cooperation will allow us to help the disadvantaged in society Socialism is the best economic system Government intervention is necessary to promote an egalitarian society Public property will ensure everyone has access to resources (and will protect the environment) The common good is what motivates us to do better

The divide between right wing and left wing is not always clear cut 8

Economics – deals with the allocation of resources It is important to know if you are discussing economic ideologies or political ideologies 9 Economics – deals with the allocation of resources

Political – deals with the power of government in a society 10

“An ideology is based on a set of accepted beliefs about the nature of man, an interpretation of our past, a vision of the future and the role of government in society. On the far left, radical Communists believe in creating a society based on equality. Moderate socialists seek equality and social justice through the power of the state. Liberals desire the greatest amount of freedom for individuals within a state that exercises its powers in the interests of the common good. Conservatives defend the importance of tradition, the stability of the status quo and the privileges of economic success. On the far right, reactionary Fascists believe that abilities are inherited, race is a determinant to success, and equality is impossible and undesirable.