Chapter 8 – Political Culture and Ideologies

12th Grade POD – Ms. Nestico

Political Ideologies

  Ideology – a set or system of ideas, beliefs and values held by a collective group of people – “school of thought”

 Belief – an idea held to be true by a group

 Value – a belief about whether an idea is right or wrong

Everything in life is “political”

Primary Ideologies in the US

Ideology Party Wing Radical Libertarian Liberal Democrat Left Moderate ----------------------------------- Conservative Republican Right Populist Reactionary

Comparison & Contrast

 Both liberals and conservatives agree that the government should have a good bit of control and regulation, but in different areas

 Liberals want strong control/regulation over the economy

 Conservatives want strong regulation over social conduct

Economic Characteristics (Liberal focus)

 Money and the distribution of wealth  Stock Market  Corporations/Big Business  Taxation  Employment  Trade/Investments  Banking Industry  Social Programs to help those in need

Social Conduct Characteristics (Conservative Focus)

 Censorship  Morals and Values  Drugs  Pro-Business  Oppose Higher Taxes  Tough punishment for crime

Most popular US ideologies

 Liberal – strong control & regulation of economy

 Conservative – strong control & regulation of social conduct

 Libertarian – least amount of government control in both the social conduct & economic realms

 Populist – increased government control over both social & economic realms

In terms of Government Regulation & Control

Libertarian 22%

Conservative 30%

Populist 20%

Liberal 16%

SOCIAL CONDUCT

E C O N O M I C

Ideology Spectrum

Moderate

Conservative

Reactionary Radical

Liberal

Liberal

 Most interested in protecting individual rights and civil liberties

 Change is usually a good thing  Anti-federalist roots   Increase in social welfare programs  More government intervention of the

economy to remedy the defects of capitalism  Can be socialistic in nature

Liberal

 Robinhood Theory – Redistribution of wealth  Usually see an increase in taxes  Believe in the positive use of government to

bring about justice and equality of opportunity  Seeks protection against inadequate

healthcare, housing and education  Believes in affirmative action programs,

unions’ right to organize and strike, etc.

Conservative

 Most interested in what’s best for the greater good of society

 Free market economy  Capitalistic – survival of the fittest, every

man for himself  Rich typically get richer  Lower taxes overall and cut government

spending

Conservative

 Functions of government should encourage family values, protect the nation from foreign enemies, preserve law and order

 Human needs should be cared for by families and charities, not the government

Radical

 Advocates extreme measures to change government policy

Radical

 Civil disobedience   Texas v. Johnson

  Vietnam war demonstrations on college campuses

Reactionary

 Advocates extreme measures to conserve ideals and uphold ultra-conservative use of policies and government

 Exceptionally intolerant of others and their viewpoints

Reactionary

 More violent acts of civil disobedience   Abortion clinic bombers   White supremacy groups typically found

here

Economic Policy

Liberals   Government should

regulate business to protect public interest

  Rich should be taxed higher in order to pay for public services

  Government spending on social welfare programs increases

Conservatives   Free market economy   Less amount of regulation

brings about more competition

  Taxes should be kept as low as possible

  Government welfare programs destroy people’s incentive to work hard.

Policies on Crime

Liberals   Government should

alleviate social problems such as poverty, unemployment, housing inadequacies, etc. as these are the preliminary reasons for crime

  Rehabilitate criminals to remedy the problem

Conservatives   Increase police forces,

special task forces and prisons.

  Stop courts from coddling criminals

  Make punishment more harsh and strict to deter future crime

Social Policy

Liberal   Freedom of choice and

government should fund it when necessary

  Protect minority rights, especially of African American, Hispanic/Latino, women, non-WASP, poor, etc.)

Conservative   Government chooses

what’s best, not the individual

  Fend for yourself – survival of the fittest

  Should allow traditional observations in public policy

National Security Policy

Liberal   Government should

support “human rights” throughout the world

  Reduce military spending   Diplomacy instead of war

Conservative   Government should

pursue national/international interests of the US

  Increase military spending

  War can stimulate the economy

The issues

 Economy

 Abortion

 Death Penalty

The Issues

 War in Iraq

 Education

 Energy

The Issues

 Drugs

 Healthcare

 Poverty

What’s your ideology?

 Go to: http://www.politopia.com/quiz_index.php3