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Political ideologies inspire political actions and help us understand the political world, showing us how politics has evolved.

The term ‘ideology’ was coined by Antonie Destutt de Tracy during The French revolution in 1789 which broke the ancient regime and enabled new ideas to flourish. De Tracy wanted ideology to be a ‘science of ideas’ in the enlightened spirit of the time. The word did then acquire a negative tone, being seen as almost a substitute for religion, hence ideology became an offensive term. Marx suggested ideology as a set of ideas, a veil to obscure reality benefitting a certain group. Marx was also a child of enlightenment and his ideas greatly influenced socialists.

Ideologies provide a critique of existing order, a vision of future society and a theory of political change.

It is possible to find an overlap between various ideologies. There are some elements of certain ideologies which are agreeable by others.  Facets of an ideology do not solely exist within their ideology, however within each ideology there is a core idea which is the basis for all the aspects and points of that ideology, they just aren’t exclusive. Ideas can also be seen as shapers of events and times, as we have “classical ideologies” (nationalism, anarchism, fascism, lin, con, soc) and “new ideologies” (feminism, ecologism, religious fundamentalism, multiculturalism) which flourished after WW2.

Liberalism

Liberalism was heavily influenced by Hobbes, Locke, Bentham, J.S. Mill, John R. (social justice) et al.

Liberal ideas helped shape major events throughout the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth century (French and American revolutions for example). The core concept of liberalism is the liberty of the individual - related values are freedom, property rights, small state, some democracy, constitutionalism. It definitely placed the individual at the centre of the political theatre. Important divisions within liberalism are Classical (negative freedoms so freedoms from interference) and New (positive freedom – also known as the freedom to do something). These leading divisions evolved from the industrial revolution creating upheave and changing individual’s outlook on the way of life and political values. 

Conservatism

Conservativism was influenced by Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the revolution in France. Burke rejected ideas of natural rights and in many ways he is placed as the father of conservative thinking. He greatly criticised the outcome of overthrow and revolution but supported the American revolution as the ideas emerged from within the society, unlike the French revolution. The core concept of conservatism is an aversion to rationalism and the imperfection of man, that rational theories are likely to not work in reality, hence rationality is not likely or plausible. Related values are the idea of an organic society, a society greater than the sum of its parts which works well as everybody has their own place, there is thus a natural social hierarchy to some extent. Particular emphasis on tradition and adapt only if things are evidently not working, conserving what is good allowing the rest to develop. From this basic theme of conserving the existing order there are some leading divisions within the ideology. These is authoritarian conservatism associated with Kaisers and tsars , paternalist conservatism associated mainly with Christianity recognising hierarchy and society as a single organic entity though those at the top have some obligation to those at the bottom and finally New Right conservatism characteristic of many republicans in US and conservatives today. In sum, whereas liberalism was the driver of the French revolution conservatism was the reaction of such ideas.

Socialism

Socialism is much more supportive of enlightenment ideology unlike conservatism. Influenced by Saint Simon, Fourier, Owen and especially Karl Marx. It was based on these writers and thinkers' reactions following the industrial revolution and the changing environment which flourished from it. In 1827 the word socialism was first printed. All these thinkers shared a concern with the social context whereas liberalism is about the individual socialism and conservatism is about the collective, how everyone is knitted together in society. Fourier argued there were 810 types of personalities and the ideal community would have a reflection of each personality. The pinnacle thinker in socialism was Karl Marx who suggested writers such as Owens were being idealistic. He developed a scientific theory arguing that class conflict between workers and upper class would lead inevitably to the overthrow of upper class and revolution. The core concept is equality, in particular equality of the outcome. Related values are community, cooperation, common ownership, meeting people’s needs. There are important divisions also within socialism: utopian socialists, orthodox Marxists, Marxist Leninists, revisionists or social democrats. The Marxist version of socialism collapsed with the end of the soviet union. The end of ideology developed as socialism was seen to have been trampled on by capitalism. This idea was already mentioned by Daniel Bell in 1960.  Ideological traditions have ways to reinvent themselves adapting to modern events; the essential feature of politics remains the fact that ideas and events will continue to drive changing ideas.

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