Ideologies, Religion, and
Protest
CPW 4U
MR. P CARNEY
Political Ideologies
 Examples of Ideologies
 liberalism
 Nazism
 fascism
 communism
 liberalism
 totalitarianism
 conservatism
 socialism
Political Ideologies in Canada
Political Ideologies in Canada
 Conservative Party
 Reform Party and Canadian Conservative
Reform Alliance Party (acronyms anyone?!)
 Bloc Québécois
 Liberal Party
 New Democratic Party
Political Ideologies in Canada
 Conservative Party
Political Ideologies in Canada
 Reform Party and Canadian
Alliance Party
Political Ideologies in Canada
 Bloc Québécois
Political Ideologies in Canada
 Liberal Party
Political Ideologies in Canada
 New Democratic Party
Origins of Political Ideologies
 Classical Liberalism
 Adam Smith – Wealth of Nations
 major changes in Europe…
Industrial Revolution
 Urbanization



…. which results in the creation of the middle class which has
no political power but has lots of money
middle class begins to challenge traditional authority and
revolts against the government (1789 French Revolution)
Origins of Political Ideologies
liberals see this as justified, they support Smith’s ideas and
oppose absolutism – they later split into our modern day
“liberals” and “conservatives”
 conservatives don’t like this challenge to the traditional
authority, they resist change


1980s – ‘Iron Lady’ Margaret Thatcher, ‘Ronny’ Ronald
Reagan
Origins of Political Ideologies
 Reform Liberalism
 John Maynard Keynes (and others)
 focused on freedoms in life
 pot,
porn, gay rights, etc…
 “The State has no business in the bedrooms of the nation.”
 more
democratic, interventionist in economics
 trying
 more
state
 UI,
to guarantee a minimum standard of living
eager to provide collective goods via the
CPP, …. redistribution of wealth by progressive income
tax, etc.
Origins of Political Ideologies


rose out of the concerns for the new working class of the
Industrial Revolution
today, growth of large corporations and reduction in the
number of competitors in key markets are of concern
Origins of Political Ideologies
 Conservative Principles
 reverence for the past (e.g. Queen)
 organic conception of society (e.g. societies are greater
than the sum of their parts)
 constitutional continuity
 opposition to revolution
 cautious reform
 religious basis of state
 divine source of legitimate authority
 priority of duties to rights
Origins of Political Ideologies
 loyalty
 common
sense and pragmatism
 economic orientation – market economy
 examples
 Lord’s
Prayer at school
 Sunday shopping
 women covered in Muslim states
 class system
 the “American Dream”
 slavery in the southern United States
Origins of Political Ideologies

Neo-Conservatism


mainly economics
rising out of rising debts,
growing size of government and
taxes
Origins of Political Ideologies
 Socialism
 emerges in the 19th century as a response to the horrors of
the Industrial Revolution
working conditions
 living conditions
 lack of response by the liberal governments




“a political and economic theory in which the means of
production and distribution are owned, managed, or controlled
by a central, democratically elected authority”
based on some form of “Utopian” vision
planning by government, public ownership, equality of
outcome, collectivism
Origins of Political Ideologies

Utopian Socialists
create ideal societies (communes) so all can see the benefits
 democratically created institutions


Revolutionary Socialists
appeal to action
 Communism went beyond economics to sociology – alienation
 aka ___________________

Religion in Politics
 Eastern Religions and Politics
 Hinduism
 Confucianism
 Buddhism
 Western Religion and Politics
 Judaism
 Catholicism
 Islam
 Protestantism
Religion in Politics
 Hinduism
 oldest of major world religions
 believe in a single divinity that is present in
everything
 through reincarnation, at death a soul passes from
one body to another – good actions in this life lead to
a better situation in the next incarnation
 rules for diet, family, caste (hereditary social class),
and politics
 doctrine of non-violence, or ahimsa, was the basis
for Mahatma Gandhi’s use of civil disobedience –
some Hindus opposed Gandhi
Religion in Politics
 Confucianism
 Confucius (551–449 BCE) created a system of “right
living” known as ren
 Confucius taught rulers to act humanely toward their
subjects
 parents, teachers, and government officials were the
guardians of this civic religion (no priests)
 all human relationships involved defined roles and
mutual obligations – a social hierarchy
 egalitarianism – the promotion of equality
 co-existed with Buddhism and Taoism well, until Mao
Zedong outlawed all religions in 1949
Religion in Politics
 Buddhism
 Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 563–483 BCE) preached
that enlightenment was to be found in the Middle
Way, the path that lies between indulgence and
asceticism (rigid self-discipline)
 many characteristics of Hinduism were adopted
 a “buddha” is someone who has awakened to the true
nature of universal cause and effect, and whose
awareness transcends birth, suffering, and death
 Emperor Ashoka made Buddhism the state religion of
India and spread it throughout southeast Asia and the
Middle East – diaspora of Tibetans spread it further
Religion in Politics
 Judaism
 Romans destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem in 70 CE, forcing
Jewish people to spread throughout the world (diaspora)
 in some “host countries”, they were accepted and given much
religious freedom; in others, they were viewed as outsiders and
treated with hostility
 although both Jews and Arabs are Semitic peoples, “antiSemitism” has come to mean hatred of the Jewish people
 Hitler’s Holocaust (1933-1945) was the most extreme example
of anti-Semitic behaviour
Religion in Politics
 Catholicism
 led
by the pope, who is seen as the successor to Saint
Peter as Christ’s representative on Earth
 eastern and western churches evolved
 Catholicism
intertwined in politics.
 Gave political advantages – good ones and bad ones
(carrying out the Spanish Inquisition, creating
denominational schools, and discouraging divorce, abortion)
 eastern Christians saw themselves as Orthodox – following
the principles of the original religion
 excommunication of two leaders in 1054 finished the schism
 John Paul II reached out to the east, but no reconciliation
Religion in Politics
 Islam
 Islam is an Arabic word that means “submission”
 a follower of Islam is called a “Muslim,” which means “one
who submits to the will of Allah”
 Muhammad (570–632 CE) recorded the word of Allah, in the
Qur’an, the holy book of Islam
 there is no separation of church and state in Islamic countries –
no discrimination based on race or class
 Christians and Muslims began fighting over access to holy sites
in Jerusalem
 political violence contradicts Islam’s traditional teachings jihad (holy war) is actually the ongoing inner struggle of
conscience to be a better Muslim
Religion in Politics
 Protestantism
 is
the politics of dissent
 Martin Luther (1483–1546) and the Protestant
Reformation opposed the power of the Roman
Catholic Church
 England’s Act of Supremacy made the king or queen
of England the head of the new Church of England
 John Calvin, John Knox, and others appealed to the
middle classes and gave rise to political democracies
 Calvinism, Presbyterianism, and political voices of
conscience such as Quakers are all forms of
Protestantism
Religion in Politics
 Religious Fundamentalism
 Secularism
 Individuals in Politics and Religion
 Religion in Politics Today
 Separation of Church and State
Religion in Politics
 Religious Fundamentalism
 In Christianity, fundamentalists feel that the state must be
subservient to God – most evident in N Ireland
 the degree of state backing of a state religion varies
 there are numerous countries in the world with official
religions, recognizing one of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox,
Lutheran, Anglican, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, and Jewish
religions
Religion in Politics
 Secularism
 is a policy of avoiding entanglement between
government and religion
 Disestablishment is the process of divesting a
church of its status as an organ of the state
 those who wish to continue with an established
church take a position of
antidisestablishmentarianism (!)
 the First Amendment to the US Constitution
explicitly bans the federal government from setting
up a state church
Religion in Politics
 Individuals in Politics and Religion
 religious
leaders and thinkers have been powerful
voices of conscience in the secular world of politics
 interplay of politics and religion within specific
individuals can be significant
 Mohandas
Gandhi and Indian Nationalism
 Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Anti-Nazism
 Mother Teresa and the Politics of Poverty
 The Dalai Lama and the Defence of Tibet
 Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Apartheid
Religion in Politics
 Religion in Politics Today
 Religion plays a significant role in politics in many different
parts of the world
Ireland and Northern Ireland (UK)
 India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh
 Israel and Palestine
 China
 Iran
 United States

Religion in Politics
 Separation of Church and State
 at the structural level of government, separation of church and
state may be clear
 at the everyday level, however, religious beliefs frequently
impinge on political procedures and decision making
Should a legislative session open with a prayer?
 Should church property be exempt from taxation?
 Should religious symbols be allowed in public schools and
government offices?
 Should religious beliefs have precedence over human rights
legislation?

Revolution
 When we think of democracy as ‘mob rule’ it is easy
to identify the tendency and right of all individuals to
voice their opinions regarding the leadership of the
country. People in favour of this notion, agree that
protests are examples democracy at play.
Coup D’etat
• Radical over through of the government within 24
hours
• Literally means – ‘a blow to the state’
• This is an extreme form of protest / revolt
• Tuesday 19 September
Religion in Politics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Explain why in Hinduism every political decision is
also a religious decision.
In what ways was Confucianism an indispensable
component of political stability in China?
How was Buddhism adopted and adapted by several
Chinese emperors and the governments of various
dynasties?
How did the Jewish people maintain their cultural
identity despite the Diaspora?
Why were Jews often isolated socially and
politically?
Religion in Politics
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Describe the relationship between the Roman
Catholic Church and Henry IV of Germany,
Ferdinand of Spain, and Louis XIV of France.
Why did the Catholic Church split into the Western
and Eastern churches?
What is the relationship between religion and
government in Islam?
Why did Calvinism appeal to the middle classes?
How did the Protestant Reformation affect the
relationship between church and state?