POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES An Introduction The role of ideas
- Slides: 7
POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES: An Introduction
The role of ideas • • Behaviourism and the ‘material basis’ of ideas. Ideology and political theory influence all action. Political theory and political practice are inseparably linked. The function of ideology: ⁻ to provide a perspective in understanding the world ⁻ to shape political systems ⁻ to act as a social cement between groups
Views of ideology • The study of ideology vs. the study of ideologies • What is ideology? “Ideology is the most elusive concept in the whole of the social sciences”- David Mc. Lellan ⁻ A political belief system ⁻ Political ideas that embody or articulate class or social interests ⁻ An abstract and highly systematic set of political ideas
Marxist views of ideology Marx • ideology vs. science • ideology and the class system • ideology and power • ideology as temporary Post-Marx • The endurance of capitalism • Lenin and a socialist ‘ideology’ • Gramsci and capitalist hegemony • Marcuse and consumerism in advanced industrial societies
Non Marxist views of ideology • • • Liberals Conservatives Socialists Fascists Ecologists Religious Fundamentalists
Heywood’s definition of ideology An ideology is a more or less coherent set of ideas of that provides the basis for organized political action, whether this is intended to preserve, modify or overthrow the existing system of power. All ideologies therefore have the following features. They: (a) offer an account of the existing order, usually in the form of a ‘world view’ (b) advance a model of a desired future, a vision of a good ‘society’ (c) explain how political change can and should be brought about – how to get from (a) to (b)
The evolution of ideology • The transition from feudalism to industrial • 1917 Russian Revolution, the ‘short’ twentieth century and ideological warfare • The twentieth century: the emergence of ‘new’ ideologies • Post-industrialization and prosperity • The ideological ramifications of the collapse of communism • Global interconnectedness and cosmopolitan sensibilities