Ideology
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Systematic Quality
How we see the world
How we understand the world
How we try to change it
Ideologies are often present in politics even when they are explicitly identified
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Classical Liberalism
Reform Liberalism
A key difference between classical liberalism is how they view the role of the state
Reform liberalism -> emphasis is placed on using the state to create equality of opportunity
 All individuals have an equal opportunity to move forward in a capitalist private property
framework
 Reform Liberals are more critical of the inequities that can arise within market outcomes and
propose state actions to correct for those inequities
 E.g. unemployment insurance (state program in which unemployed people can collect money
from the state[non-market form of state program])
 Old age pensions: As people age, their ability to work decreases
 If they are not able to have adequate savings, the result is poverty at old age
 In the 19th century the early and twentieth century -> major levels of poverty in older
populations
It was proposed – particularly after the Second World War that the state should provide pensions to
ensure access to a sufficient level of income.
 Overall emphasis on market based inequalities and need to correct them order to provide a
better foundation for human freedom
 Freedom is defined more broadly than the freedom to engage in market transactions without
government interference
 It also includes the social conditions in which access to sufficient income is necessary to
maintain a decent standard of living
 One of the key sources of inequalities lies in the market
 Education for example should not be based on one’s market position in terms of whether they
are rich or poor
 The state should subsidize education costs to increase equality of opportunity
 Reform liberalism – there is greater emphasis on using the state to alter the distribution of
income and opportunity in society
Socialism: Defined by the text as, an ideological perspective that humans are social able by nature and
the markets undermine this quality of humans.
Socialism differs from liberalism in that it rejects the emphasis on capitalist private property
arrangement as the framework for organizing society
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How capitalism in the form of the market leads competitiveness and exploitation
Karl Marx states that in market relations the bourgeoisie exploits the working class or the
proletariats
Capitalism represents one system of organizing society, but it is not internal
Marxist socialism believes that the only way to change a system was through a social
movement; class consciousness; violence
Lenin -> leader of the Bolsheviks in Russian -> lead the Russian revolution in 1917 -> to the
formation of the soviet union (Lenin was a Marxist)
Keynes was not a socialist he was a reformed liberal, does not want to overthrow the state
Social Democracy: developed in the latter part of the twentieth century, gathering momentum
particularly in the 1980’s and 1990’s; Opposed the emphasis on state action and control in both Marxist
and democratic socialist ideologies.
In making this shift, social democracy is moving in the direction of reform liberalism; greater
convergence in ideologies.
Politics has moved towards a convergence in which the differences between socialist and liberals have
been reduced. There is greater reliance on reforming capitalism rather than fundamental changes on
the left.
Conservative Ideology
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Defined in the text as a perspective that emphasizes the importance of stability, respect for
authority and tradition; based on the theory that humans are not perfect
Have a view that hierarchy is both inevitable and necessary
Unrealistic to believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to participate in the market
Less concerned with the right of individuals, more concerned about the intrinsic values of law
Society is more than just a collection of individuals, traditions underpin society and need to be
upheld
Particularly in the structure of the family, traditional division of responsibility in which the male
is the leading figure of the household and is responsible for supporting family and income
Female responsibilities include: housework, childcare, and motherhood
Tradition is an overarching link between past, present and future
Conservatives are suspicious and critical of revolutionary or transformative political processes
Dangerous to participate in these processes
Conservative though has shifted over time. Initially conservative thoughts were a reaction to the growth
of liberalism. The liberal revolution in the latter part of the 18th century and early 19th century and the
French revolution from 1789-1799. Major upheaval, nobility in France lost their lives, churches were
under attack.
This is justified in the name of liberal ideas; “Rights of Man” and equality of French citizens.
Burk viewed the French revolution as leading to chaos. Overtime as liberalism and capitalist markets
became more established as integral forms of organizing society Conservatives were less opposed to
free-market structures.
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Conservatives over the twentieth century increasingly saw the free-markets and the leadership
of the capitalist elite in society as something to be defended in the face of an attack by socialists
and the redistributive measures of reform liberals.