Political Ideology

What is a political ideology? Why are political ideologies important? Are conservatism and anarchism political ideologies? In this article, we will answer these questions and more as we provide you with a general overview of the main political ideologies you will likely read about in your political studies.

Political ideologies are a core component of your political studies. During the course of your studies, you will encounter a number of political ideologies ranging from liberalism to ecologism.

It is important to understand what a political ideology is not just for school, but also to have a general understanding of politics in the world. Let’s see what ideologies are and what they seek to achieve.

What are political ideologies?

Aside from being the political science of ideas, political ideologies are also defined as:

a) A system of beliefs about politics.

b) A view of the world held by a social class or group of people.

c) Political ideas that embody or articulate class or social interests.

d) A political doctrine that asserts a monopoly of truth.

The roles of political ideologies

The role of political ideologies is to establish a set of ideas that can be used to provide the foundation of political organisation. As a result, all political ideologies have three specific features:

1. A realistic interpretation of society as it currently is.

2. An idealised interpretation of society. Essentially, an idea of what society should be like.

3. An action plan on how to create a society that reflects the needs and wants of all its citizens. Essentially, a plan of how to get from number one to number two.

List of political ideologies

In the table below is a list of the different types of political ideologies that you may have come across before. We will explore a few of them later in this article.

Fig. 1 Political ideology spectrum

The main political ideologies

In political science, it is widely accepted that the three main political ideologies are conservatism, liberalism, and socialism. We also refer to these ideologies as classical ideologies.

Conservatism

Conservatism is characterised by its reluctance to or suspicion of change. Conservatives call to maintain tradition, underpinned by a belief in human imperfection and attempts to uphold what they view as the organic structure of society.

Like many other ideologies, such as liberalism and nationalism, the origins of conservatism can be traced back to the French Revolution. Conservatism rejected the rapidly increasing changes that were occurring in the French society, for example, the rejection of hereditary monarchies.

Therefore, conservatism emerged in a bid to uphold the social order. Whilst many ideologies seek reform, conservatism is strong in its belief that change is not necessary.

The core concepts of conservatism are pragmatism, tradition, paternalism, libertarianism, and the belief in an organic state.

Liberalism

Liberalism is arguably one of the most influential and widely embraced ideologies of the previous centuries. The western world has embraced liberalism as the ruling ideology and the majority of political parties in Britain and the US hold at least some of its principles. Liberalism was born as a response to the ruling power of monarchies and the privileges that the upper classes had. At its inception, liberalism reflected the views of the middle-class and became a part of the Enlightenment.

As a political ideology, liberalism rejects what is viewed as traditional social ideas and emphasises the importance of personal freedom, and the power of individual and collective rationality. This emphasis on individual freedom and rationality has contributed to its sustained embrace as an ideology.

The core ideas of liberalism are liberty, individualism, rationalism, the liberal state, and social justice.

Socialism

Socialism is a political ideology that has historically opposed capitalism. The roots of socialism are in the Industrial Revolution and it is heavily influenced by the theories and writings of Karl Marx. However, the intellectual theory behind socialism can be traced back to ancient Greece.

Socialism aims to establish a human alternative to capitalism and believes in the concepts of collectivism and social equality as the foundation for a better society. Socialist ideologies also seek to abolish class divisions.

The core ideas of socialism are collectivism, common humanity, equality, workers’ control, and social classes.

Different political ideologies

After exploring what is considered the ‘main political ideologies’, let’s explore some of the less common political ideologies that you may encounter in your political studies.

Anarchism

Anarchism is a political ideology that places the rejection of the state at its epicentre. Anarchism rejects all forms of coercive authority and hierarchy in favour of the organisation of society based on cooperation and voluntary participation. While most ideologies are concerned with how to manage authority and rule in society, anarchism is unique in that it rejects the presence of both authority and rule.

The core ideas of anarchism are liberty, economic freedom, anti-statism, and anti-clericalism.

Nationalism

Nationalism is an ideology based on the concept that a person’s loyalty and devotion to the nation-state are more important than any individual or group interest. For nationalists, the nation is of utmost importance. Nationalism originated in the late eighteenth century during the French Revolution. Hereditary monarchy and loyalty to a ruler were rejected, and people went from being subjects of the crown to citizens of a nation.

The core ideas of nationalism are nations, self-determination, nation-states, culturalism, racialism, and internationalism.

Ecologism

Ecologism studies the relationship between living organisms and their environments as the first law of ecology states that everything is related to each other. Ecology was once solely considered a branch of biology but since the mid-twentieth century, it is also considered a political ideology. Our planet is currently under severe threat. The threats to the earth include global warming, climate change, the loss of biodiversity, deforestation, and waste. At the current rate of destruction, there is a chance that the earth will soon be unable to sustain life. This threat to the earth is what has placed ecologism at the forefront of twenty-first-century politics. Ecologism as a political ideology is a response to unregulated industrialisation.

The core ideas of ecologism are ecology, holism, environmental ethics, environmental consciousness, and postmaterialism.

Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism is the process in which distinct identities and cultural groups are acknowledged, maintained, and supported in society. Multiculturalism seeks to tackle challenges that arise out of cultural diversity and minority marginalisation.

Some argued that multiculturalism is not a fully-fledged ideology in its own right, rather it serves as an arena for ideological debate. However, you will likely encounter the concept of multiculturalism in your study of political ideologies.

The key themes of multiculturalism are diversity within unity. The emergence of multiculturalism has been strengthened by the trend towards international migration since the end of the Second World War, colonialism, and the collapse of communism.

The core ideas of multiculturalism are recognition, identity, diversity, and minority/minority rights.

Feminism

Feminism is a political term that emerged in the 1900s. It is an ideology that fundamentally seeks to establish the social, economic, and political equality of the sexes. This drive to seek equality is not limited to those spheres, as feminism observes that women are disadvantaged by their sex in all spheres of life. Feminism seeks to combat all forms of sex-based inequality.

The core ideas of feminism are sex and gender, body autonomy, equality feminism, the patriarchy, difference feminism, and intersectionality.

Image from the 1970s women's liberation march, Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons.

Political theology

Political theology differs slightly from the aforementioned ideologies in that it is not actually a political ideology in itself. Rather, it is a branch of political philosophy from which some political ideologies emerge. Political theology refers to the relationship between politics, power, and religious order. Political theology seeks to describe the ways in which religion plays a role in the political sphere.

The history of political theology can be traced back to the emergence of Christianity and the fall of the Roman Empire. After the fall of the empire, churchmen were the only educated class or organisation of people left and therefore the Church assumed positions of political power which served as an amalgamation of both religion and politics.

Political theology is concerned with answering questions of authority, divinity, and sovereignty.

Exploring the role and history of political theology can help us to understand phenomena such as the emergence of secularism or the rise in religious fundamentalism in the modern day.