Political

Ideologies
Here starts the
lesson 2!
 Lesson Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you will be able to…

 Identify the basic tenets of major political ideologies (i.e., liberalism, socialism, conservativism, etc.)

 Differentiate the political ideologies

 Examine the relationship between political ideologies and configurations of political communities

 Critique ideas that have a direct impact on how we try to manage ourselves as a political community

 Analyze how political ideologies impact on the social and political life of Filipino
Topics to be
discussed…
Definition of Ideology Different Ideologies
and Political Ideology
 Anarchism
 Socialism
 Liberalism
Functions of Political  Conservatism
Ideology  Fascism
 Feminism
“A state is better governed
which has but few laws, and
those laws strictly observed”
– René Descartes
 01
What is an
Ideology???
 Ideology is…

Defined as political statements

that aim to call upon massive
mass to achieve a relatively better
political and economic condition.
Government
uses ideologies
to help them
consolidate the
support of their
constituents.
Political ideologies are important not only in
politics but also to our daily lives, since these
ideologies will make our lives more
meaningful as we live. Though sometimes,
political ideologies can be supportive or
critical to the status quo, or can be middle
ground of the two.
Functions of  It offers an analysis of status
Political quo by examining what works
and what does not work, this
Ideology function gives us a picture of
the existing reality, answering
the questions: “what is wrong,
or what went wrong, and
why”?
Functions of
Political
Ideology
 It evaluates alternatives to the
status quo and prescribes a
preferred or desired social
order, this function provides a
picture of an “ideal” alternative
reality and providing an answer
to the question of “what ought
to be”?
Functions of
Political  Last function is, it specifies the means
Ideology by which the preferred or desired
social order can be achieve, this mean
that it bridges the first and second
function and answers important
question of how should change be
brough about, that is, how do we
change the undesired-problem- and
conflict-ridder status quo in order to
achieve our preferred or desired
alternative social order?
Left and Right Distinctions
of Political Ideology
 Left Distinction Right Distinction
Revolutionary or egalitarian
sympathies For reactionary or monarchist

Uses violence and force to

change the status quo
Resorts to violence and force to
maintain the status quo
Radical Liberal Moderate Conservative Reactionary

Status quo
*Fig. 2.5 The status quo in the political spectrum (Baradat 2012)
 02
Political
Ideologies
Anarchism
Anarchism  An ideology that rejects the
state outright
 In this ideology, it teaches
that we can live in a society
where there is no
compulsion of any kind.
Anarchism  State or any political
authority is seen as both
evil and unnecessary
 Stateless society
 Intersection of
LIBERALISM and
SOCIALISM
Socialism  A central tenet of socialism is
collectivism – the capacity of human
beings for collective action, their
willingness and ability to pursue goals
by working together, as opposed to
striving for personal self-interest.
 Common ownership is also central to
socialist thought.
Socialism  Socialists look at the society in
terms of differences in the
distribution of income or wealth.
“Social class” is believed to be an
important social cleavage, which
divides societies.
 They also believe in social
equality.
 Two Competing tendencies
Socialism within Socialism

 Fundamentalist socialism
& revisionist socialism –
represented by the
communist and the social
democratic traditions
 Two Competing tendencies
Socialism within Socialism
 Marxists and
communists – they
believe in absolute social
equality by abolishing
private property and
collectivizing product
wealth.
 Two Competing tendencies
Socialism within Socialism
 Social democrats –
believe in relative social
equality to be achieved by
redistributing wealth
through the welfare state
Liberalism  Sees the state as a neutral arbiter among
competing interests and groups in
society, a vital guarantee of social order
 Opposite of conservatism for it favors
change, prefers more freedom and has a
more optimistic approach to human
reasoning and nature
  Tolerance is the willingness of
Liberalism individuals to allow others to
think and behave in ways they
do not approve.
 Equality implies that
individuals are born equal, at
least in moral terms. Equal
rights and entitlements are at its
core.
Conservatism  Focused on something to be
conserved.
 Resistant to change; adherent to
limited human freedom as it chooses
to maintain traditional values, and at
some extreme versions
 Emphasizes tradition, hierarchy and
authority
Fascism  Common values upheld are struggle,
leadership, power, heroism, and war.
 It has an anti-character: anti-liberalism,
anti-individualism, anti-capitalism, etc.
 Sees the state as a supreme ethical ideal,
reflecting the undifferentiated interests
of the national community, hence their
belief in totalitarianism
Fascism  Fascists believe in a unified
national community or
strength through unity. As
such, individual identity is
not as important as that of
the social group or
community
  Is a diverse but its unifying theme
Feminism is the desire to enhance the social
role of women
 Society is characterized by sexual
or gender inequality
 The structure of male power must
be overturned, hence the belief in
gender equality
 Its strands include liberal
feminism, socialist feminism, and
radical feminism.
Feminism  Liberal feminism - particular
approach to achieving
equality between men and
women that emphasizes the
power of an individual
person to alter discriminatory
practices against women
(study.com)
Feminism  Socialist feminism -
defined as the struggle
against capitalism and
male supremacy or
patriarchy. (study.com)
Feminism  Radical feminism - feminist
philosophy that seeks to
dismantle traditional patriarchal
power and gender roles. Their
ideas are informed by the belief
that the structure of society
needs to be completely
transformed. (study.com)
Ideas shape human actions and social outcomes. What
is believed by the members of the community has been
drastically affecting their social, political, and economic
conditions, and also their way of life. Liberalism has
influenced human choice, decisions in the market, and
satisfaction of desires. Socialism has been the
forerunner of values such as equity, justice and
community life.
Learning about political ideologies is advantageous in
understanding certain political contexts. In the Philippines,
different political ideologies like Marxism and communism
have affected different political-historical events such as the
First Quarter Storm during the Marcos dictatorship and the
formation of different insurgents in the country like the New
People’s Army (NPA) of the Communist Party of the
Philippines (CPP)