What does the term ‘ideology’ mean?

Word ‘ideo’ means Ideas. Word ‘logy’ means study, science. Thus, the term
‘ideology’ in its literal meaning refers to ‘science of ideas’.

In social sciences, the term “ideology” refers to the science of ideas that act
as a basis for societal setup/system. More simply, the term ideology refers
to a set of ideas on which the social, economic, and political system of a
society is built.

What does the term ‘Nation’ mean?

The term ‘nation’ refers to a group of people living in a common
geographical place with a willingness to act as one people because of
common interests and challenges.

Every nation has an ideology that shapes the social, economic, and political
structure. Another defining characteristic of a nation is that it has a defined
geographical territory in which the people live and act as per the collective
will. The concept of territorial integrity and sovereignty of a state emerges
from here.

In nutshell, one can define a nation as a group of people with more or less
similar ideological identification living in a defined geographical territory
with a willingness to politically organize themselves without any outside
influence.

What is the significance of ideology for a nation?

In the following lines is a thematic discussion about the significance of
ideology for a nation.

Identity of a nation
Ideology gives an identity to a nation. It varies from one nation to another
thus making each identifiable from the others. To put it in other words, the
construction of national identity depends upon the kind of ideology its
people collectively follow. For instance, the Pakistani state identifies itself
with Islam and considers itself the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Similarly,
communism is the officially declared state ideology of China which makes it
different from other states in the world by giving it a unique identity.

Determination of national goals

Ideology sets a direction for a nation to develop by helping in setting
national goals and guidelines for the achievement of these goals. Without
ideology, a nation would be directionless or without a vision and
destination to pursue.

The basis for societal setup

Ideology also acts as a basis for the social, political, and economic system
of a society. For example, Pakistan’s ideology is Islam which means Islamic
teachings should guide and regulate its economic, political and social
system.

Guidance in the formulation of foreign policy

The ideological basis of a state acts as a determining factor in framing its
foreign policy. For instance, ideologically being an Islamic state, Pakistan
supports Kashmiris and Palestinians in their struggle for the right to
determination. Similarly, the Islamic concept of brotherhood guides
Pakistan to establish fraternal relations with Muslim countries.

Promotion of patriotism
Ideology creates a sense of patriotism among the citizens of a state. Love
and the spirit of sacrifice for one’s country stem from the ideology of the
motherland. Likewise, the citizens of a state would not hesitate in playing
their role for the development, national integrity, and good image-making
in the comity of nations.

Determination of common course of action

Ideology provides a common course of action in times of challenges. For
example, terrorism has been a common and one of the biggest problems in
Pakistan. Islam condemns the killing of innocent people by declaring the
killing of one person as the murder of whole humanity.

This assertion in Pakistan ideology guides people to act together against

terrorism and get rid of this menace. It is in this regard that the whole
Pakistani nation stands with its army against terrorism