PPG 2ND (MIDTERM)

• Ideology


  A set of ideas that structure political understanding, set goals, inspire activism, shape political systems, and act as social cement
• Political Ideologies


  • Liberalism
  • Conservatism
  • Socialism
  • Communism
• Liberalism


  Came from the Latin word 'liber' meaning 'a class of free men'
• Feudalism


  • A hierarchical system where ownership of land by feudal lords translated to political and economic power over servants/peasants
• Principles of Liberalism

  • Individualism
  • Freedom
  • Reason
  • Justice
  • Toleration
• Liberal state


  A political system that actualizes liberal principles, characterized by free and fair elections, respect for human rights, constitutionalism, and the rule of law
• Absolute rule


  All authority, especially political, emanates from a single individual, usually a monarch
• Main Liberal Thinkers

  • Thomas Hobbes
  • John Locke
  • Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  • Adam Smith
  • Immanuel Kant
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • Jeremy Bentham
  • James Madison
• Variations of Liberalism

  • Classical Liberalism
  • Modern Liberalism
• Conservatism


  Characterized by resistance to change and adherence to traditional values
• Forms of Conservatism

  • Liberal Conservatism
  • Libertarian Conservatism
  • National Conservatism
  • Social Conservatism
  • Cultural Conservatism
  • Religious Conservatism
• Founders of Conservatism

  • Edmund Burke
  • Joseph de Maistre
  • Russell Kirk
• Socialism


  A reaction against capitalism, seeking to counteract the attitude of selfish interest associated with capitalism
• Principles of Socialism

  • Social equality
  • Community
  • Cooperation
  • Social class
  • Common ownership
• Variations of Socialism

  • Democratic Socialism
  • Communism
• Figures in Communist ideology

  • Robert Owen
  • Charles Fourier
  • Karl Marx
  • Friedrich Engels
• Communism


  An ideology rooted in socialism, with the goal of abolishing private property and class divisions
• Karl Marx


  The leading figure in the communist school of thought, a German philosopher and revolutionary
• Types of Alienation in Capitalism

  • Alienation from the product of one's labor
  • Alienation from the process of labor
  • Alienation from fellow workers
  • Alienation from themselves
• Types/Variants of Communism

  • Marxist Communism
  • Soviet Communism
  • Chinese Communism
• Vanguard party


  Composed of professional revolutionaries who will raise the consciousness of the proletariat
• Imperialism


  The policy of extending the power or rule of a state beyond its borders
• Means of production


  • Land
  • Labor
  • Capital
• Proletarians


  Laborers who suffer from alienation and exploitation from the bourgeoisie
• Soviet Communism


  Also referred to as Marxism-Leninism
• Vladimir Lenin


  • Main figure behind Soviet communism
  • Lived from 1870 to 1924
• Vanguard party


  Composed of professional revolutionaries who will raise the consciousness of the proletariat for them to realize their oppressed conditions
• Chinese Communism


  • Third main variant of communism aside from classical Marxism and Soviet Marxism-Leninism
  • Developed and led by Mao Zedong
  • Introduced the concept of revolution from the countryside
• Populism


  A contested concept with no single definition, considered a thin-centered ideology in comparison to fuller ideologies
• Paul Taggart (2000) describes populism as a "difficult, slippery concept" in recognition of the challenges faced by scholars in arriving at a single, clear-cut definition of populism
• Margaret Canovan's definition of populism


  A kind of political movement or ideology that places the idea of a unified people at the core of its vision
• Aspects examined in definitions of populism

  • The composition of the people ("who are the people?")
  • Their interests ("what do they need and want?")
  • Their challenges ("what do they suffer from?")
  • Their relationship with political, economic, and social institutions ("how are they being treated as social beings?")
  • Their oppression and oppressors ("who is harming them?")
  • The resolutions to their problems ("what can be done for them?")
• Populist


  Can be understood as a description ("a populist leader") or as a category in itself ("a group of populists"), but it is commonly understood in relation to politicians or leaders of a particular country
• Different approaches to defining populism

  • Popular agency approach - a democratic way of life built through popular engagement in politics
  • Laclauan approach - is considered not only as the essence of politics but also as an emancipatory force
  • Socioeconomic approach - is an irresponsible economic policy involving too much redistribution of wealth and government spending
  • Political strategy approach - is a strategy employed by a specific type of leader who seeks to govern based on direct and unmediated support from the followers
  • Folkloric style of politics - is employed by leaders and parties to allude to amateurish and unprofessional political behavior that aims to maximize media attention and popular support
  • Ideational approach - is a discourse, an ideology, or a worldview
• The People (in populism)


  The ambiguity of the concept of "the people" contributes to the challenges in defining populism, but it remains a core concept in populist thought because the vision of populism is realized through its appeal to the people
• Operationalizations of "the people"

  • The people as sovereign - the people, not the state nor the government, as the ultimate source of political power
  • The people as the common people - a more socioeconomic definition of "the people"
  • The people as the nation - refers to the national community and not towards a specific identity or class group within the state
• The Elite (in populism)


  Another core concept in populism, the relationship between the people and the elite is antagonistic, the elite are seen as an oppressive force that takes advantage of the people
• Types of elite in populism

  • The political elite - people who hold leading positions in the political systems of the country
  • The economic elite - people who exert considerable influence over the economic affairs of the state
• General Will


  The third core concept in populism, the capacity of the people to join together into a community and legislate to enforce their common interest
• Demand and Supply of Populist Politics


  For populism to thrive, there must be leaders (supply side) who promise to address the discontent among the masses (demand side)