POLITICAL

IDEOLOGIES
Antoine Destutt de Tracy
 coined the term Ideology during the French
Revolution and subsequently used in public in 1796
 Ideologie is a new ’science of ideas’
Ideology formed when Belief and Values are put
together.
Beliefs – are people’s assessment of reality and
what they hold to be true.
Values – are people’s ideas about right and wrong.
Definition of Ideology (Heywood)
• a political belief system
• an action-oriented set of political ideas
• the ideas of the ruling class
• the world view of a particular social class or social group
• political ideas that embody or articulate class or social
interests
• ideas that propagate false consciousness amongst the
exploited or oppressed
Definition of Ideology (Heywood)
•ideas that state the individual within a social context
and generate a sense of collective belonging
•an officially sanctioned set of ideas used to legitimate a
political system or regime
•an all-embracing political doctrine that claims a
monopoly of truth
•an abstract and highly systematic set of political ideas
Distinguished Ideologies from Ideas
(Macridis in Ranney, 1995)
Comprehensiveness
 An ideology covers ideas pertaining many
great matters, such as human beings place in
the universal domain, man’s relationship to
the Divine being, the highest goals of society
and government, the essential nature of
people, and the best means of achieving the
highest social and political objectives.
 Distinguished Ideologies from Ideas
(Macridis in Ranney, 1995)

Pervasiveness
 The set of ideas has not only been known
for a long time but has shaped the political
beliefs and actions of many people. Before
Christ, democracy, oligarchy, and autocracy
are widely talked about, and that great
movement has fought those ideologies for
over 2,000 years.
Distinguished Ideologies from Ideas
(Macridis in Ranney, 1995)

Extensiveness
 The set of ideas is held by a large
number of people and plays a vital
role in nations and states political
affairs
Distinguished Ideologies from Ideas
(Macridis in Ranney, 1995)

Intensiveness
 The set of ideas commands a strong
commitment from many of its
adherents and significantly influences
political beliefs and actions.
Characteristics of Ideology
 Ideologies have their levels end in -ism
 Ideologies provide an explanation for problems that
confronts modern societies by providing futuristic
vision
 Ideology is action-oriented
 Ideologies mobilize a large number of people
Features of Ideology (Heywood, 2012)
 It offers an account of the existing order, usually in
the form of a ‘world view’.
 It advances a model of the desired future, a vision of
the good society
 It explains how political change can and should be
brought – how to get from the two other features.
 Intellectual Components of an
Ideology
 Values
 The vision of the Ideal Polity
 The conception of the Human Nature
 The strategy of Action
 Political Tactics
Functions of Ideologies
1. Ideology addresses a basic human psychological
needs such as safety, freedom, and community.
2. Ideology provides its believers with a sense of
understanding history and with clues about what kinds
of things they should pay attention to or ignore.
3. Ideology is essential
4. Ideology is powerful
 Societal Role of Ideologies

1. Ideologies answer eternal questions and cut

off competing beliefs and values;
2. Ideologies explain how the universe works
and why it works that way;
3. Ideologies tell us how to behave; and
4. They help us predict the future.
 Ideologies
1. Liberalism (The Left)
 derived from the Latin word “liber” which
means “free men”
 a view that sees more need for change and
improvement in social relations requiring
governmental involvement (Schrems)
 Ideologies
1. Liberalism (The Left)
 It supports promoting the individual
welfare and supporting the civil rights and
accepts peaceful political, social change
within the existing political system (Moten
and Islam, 2011)
 Set of Values and beliefs of
Liberalism (Heywood,2012)
Individualism
 It is the belief in the supreme importance of the
individual over any social group of collective body

Freedom
 The ability to think or act as one wishes, capacity that
can be associated with the individual, a group or a
nation.
 Set of Values and beliefs of
Liberalism
Reason (Heywood,2012)
 The power of reason gives human beings the
capacity to take charge of their own lives and
fashion their own destinies
Justice
 It is a moral standards of fairness and impartiality.
It denotes giving what is due to each person.
 Set of Values and beliefs of
Liberalism
Toleration (Heywood,2012)
 Willingness to accept views with which one
is in disagreement
 Forbearance
 Types of Liberalism
Classical Liberalism (Heywood, 2012)
 subscribed to egotistical individualism
 a belief in negative freedom
 the state is regarded at best as a ‘necessary
evil’
 have a broadly positive view of civil society
 Types of Liberalism
Neoclassical Liberalism (Heywood, 2012)
 states are constantly interacting with each other and
that they value cooperation as part of their own
interest.
 refers to the revival of economic liberalism – the
absolute faith in the market, reflecting the belief that
the market mechanisms offers solutions to all
economic and social problems
 Ideologies
2. Conservatism (The Right)
 derived from the term conservation
 a political philosophy that tends to support
the status quo and advocates change only in
moderation upholding the value of tradition
and seeks to preserve all that is good about the
past (Dooley, 2013)
 Ideologies
3. Socialism
 derived from the Latin word “social” meaning to
combine or to share
 an economic and political doctrine advocating
governmental ownership and direction of
production and services but which would retain
existing institutions as the means of regulating them
 Ideologies
3. Socialism
 cooperation is preferred over competition
 adheres to social equality which is the main
way to attain social stability and cohesion
(Heywood, 2011)
 Distinctive Ways of
Understanding Socialism:
 Socialism is seen as an economic model.
 Socialism as an instrument of the labor
movement.
 Socialism as a political creed encompasses
community, cooperation, equality, class
politics and collective ownership.
 Ideologies
4. Social Democracy
 A moderate or reformist brand of socialism
that favor a balance between the market and
the state rather than the abolition of
capitalism and lacks a systematic underlying
theory and is inherently vague (Heywood,
2011)
 Ideologies
4. Social Democracy
 It is the mildest form of socialism, stressing
welfare measure but not state ownership of
industry (Roskins, 2012)
 Ideologies
5. Communism
 derived from Latin communis meaning “common or
universal”
 An economic, social, and political system seeking
government ownership on the means of production
and services directed by a process of scientific
administration and universal assent (Schrems, 2011)
 Ideologies
5. Communism
 It’s an extreme left-wing ideology, based on
the revolutionary socialist teaching of Karl
Marx.
 Each should work to their capability and
will receive according to their needs.
 Ideologies
6. Fascism
 Derived from Italian word fasce which means
“bundle of rods with an axe-blade protruding that
signified the authority of magistrates in Imperial
Rome (Heywood, 2011)
used to describe by Benito Mussolini for the armed
paramilitary squads he formed during and after
World War I.
 Ideologies
6. Fascism
 A movement that stands for outmoded,
repressive social and political conditions
rejecting democracy, repudiates
constitutionalism and stress that all values
arise from the state against which the
individual has no right.
 Salient Features of
Fascism:
 Totalitarianism
 Nationalism
 Anti – liberalism
 Militarism and Violence
 Leadership
 Ideologies
7. Religious Fundamentalism
 Taken from the Latin word fundamental,
meaning “base”.
 Associated with inflexibility, dogmatism,
authoritarianism or worst violence.
 Characterized by a rejection of the distinction
between politics and religion (Heywood,2011)
Themes of Religious Fundamentalism:
 Religion as politics
 The fundamentalist impulse
 Anti-modernism
 Militancy
 Ideologies
8. Feminism
 Derived from the Latin word femina, meaning
“women or female”.
 concerned with the attainment of gender equality
in the political, economic and social spheres of life
 Its primary focus is the position of women in the
society.
 Ideologies
8. Feminism
 Feminist contend that patriarchy continues
to be manifested in the systematic deprivation
of individual choices, political power,
economic opportunities, and intellectual
recognition currently experienced by women.
 Ideologies
9. Environmentalism
 An ideology focusing on the idea that environment is
endangered and must be preserved through
regulation and lifestyle changes (Roskin et. al., 2012)
 Its concern is about the natural environment and
particularly about reducing environmental
degradation that is more of a policy orientation rather
than an ideological stance (Heywood, 2012)
Activity 3: Ideologies for Living
Direction: Complete the table by supplying the characteristics of the
different ideologies and pinpoint its significant to one’s life
Liberalism Conservatism Socialism Feminism
Activity 4: Short Biography
Direction: Choose a historical figure. Then write a short biography to
share with the class that addresses this guiding question: Why is this
individual a great leader? How is his/her political belief linked to
Philippine politics?

Name of Leader__________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
 Quiz 2: Matching Type
I. Direction: Choose the right answer from column B which corresponds to
each statement in column A. Write the letter on the space provided in column
A.
A B
_______ 1. People’s assessment of reality and what is A. Feminism
considered true.
_______ 2. The world view of a particular class or social group B. Fascism
_______ 3. It is characterized by a rejection of the distinction C. Beliefs
between politics and religion
_______ 4. Concerned with the attainment of gender equality D. Religious
in the political, social and economic spheres of life. Fundamentalism
_______ 5. It stresses that all values arise from the state E. Ideologies
against individuals which has no rights
 Quiz 2: Matching Type
I. Direction: Choose the right answer from column B which corresponds to each
statement in column A. Write the letter on the space provided in column A.
A B
_______ 6. Economic , social and political system seeking
government ownership of the means of production. F. Conservatism
_______ 7. Favors a balance between the market and the state G. Liberalism
rather than the abolition of capitalism. H. Socialism
_______ 8. It supports individual welfare and supporting civil
rights and accepts peaceful political and social change. I. Social Democracy
_______ 9. Supports the status quo and change only in
moderation upholding the value of tradition. J. Communism
_______ 10 . Adheres to social equality which is the main way to K. Environmentalism
achieve social stability and cohesion.
 Quiz 2: Enumeration

Test II
1-3. Set of values and beliefs of
Liberalism
4-5. Characteristics of Ideology