Political Spectrum Free countries around the world??

Political Spectrum

Free countries around the world??

Free countries around the world90 countries (47%) are considered democratic.

3.0 billion* The people enjoy a broad range of rights.

58 countries (30%) are considered partly democratic.

1.1 billion* The people have limited political rights and civil liberties because of problems with corruption,

dominant ruling parties, or with ethnic or religious fighting.

45 countries (23%) are considered not democratic. 2.4 billion

* The people are denied most basic political rights and civil liberties.

* Nearly 1/3 live in China! * Why does this list say that China is not a free

country?

Ranking: 1• Andorra • Australia • Austria • Bahamas • Barbados • Belgium • Canada • Cape Verde • Chile • Costa Rica • Cyprus • Czech Rep. • Denmark • Dominica • Estonia • Finland • France • Germany • Hungary • Iceland • Ireland • Italy • Kiribati• Latvia

• Liechtenstein • Lithuania • Luxembourg • Malta • Marshall

Islands • Micronesia • Nauru • Netherlands • New Zealand • Norway • Palau • Poland • Portugal • St. Kitts and

Nevis • St. Lucia • San Marino • Slovakia • Slovenia • Spain • Sweden • Switzerland • Tuvalu • United Kingdom

• United States • Uruguay Ranking: 1.5 • Belize • Bulgaria • Ghana • Greece • Grenada • Israel • Japan • Mauritius • Monaco • Panama • St. Vincent and the

Grenadines • South Korea

Ranking: 2 • Antigua and Barbuda • Argentina • Benin • Botswana • Brazil • Croatia

• Dominican Republic • Mali • Mongolia • Namibia • Romania • Samoa • São Tomé and

Príncipe • South Africa • Suriname • Trinidad and Tobago • Vanuatu • Ranking: 2.5 • El Salvador • Guyana • India • Indonesia • Jamaica • Lesotho • Mexico • Peru • Senegal • Serbia • Ukraine

FREE COUNTRIES (1 = Most free / 7 = Least free)

PARTLY FREE

•Ranking: 3 •Albania •Bolivia •Bosnia and Herzegovina •Colombia •Ecuador •Georgia •Honduras •Kenya •Macedonia•Malaysia •Montenegro •Nicaragua •Niger •Papua New Guinea •Paraguay •Philippines •Seychelles •Turkey

•Ranking: 3.5 •Comoros •East Timor •Guatemala •Liberia •Madagascar •Malawi •Moldova •Mozambique •Sierra Leone •Solomon Islands •Tanzania •Zambia •Ranking: 4 •Bangladesh •Burkina Faso

•Guinea-Bissau •Kuwait •Malaysia •Nigeria •Sri Lanka •Tonga •Venezuela •Ranking: 4.5 •Armenia •Burundi •Central African Republic •Gambia •Haiti •Jordan •Kyrgyzstan

•Lebanon •Mauritania •Morocco •Nepal •Singapore •Uganda •Ranking: 5 •Afghanistan •Bahrain •Djibouti •Ethiopia •Fiji •Gabon •Yemen

NOT FREE

•Ranking: 5.5 •Algeria •Angola •Azerbaijan •Bhutan •Brunei •Cambodia •Congo, Dem. Rep. of •Congo, Rep. of •Egypt •Guinea •Kazakhstan •Maldives

•Oman •Pakistan •Qatar •Russia •Rwanda •Tajikistan •Thailand •Togo •Tunisia •United Arab Emirates •Ranking: 6 •Cameroon •Chad

•Iran •Iraq •Swaziland •Vietnam •Ranking: 6.5 •Belarus •China •Côte d'Ivoire •Equatorial Guinea •Eritrea •Laos •Saudi Arabia

•Syria •Zimbabwe •Ranking: 7 •Cuba •Libya •Myanmar (Burma) •North Korea •Somalia •Sudan •Turkmenistan •Uzbekistan

The Political Spectrum

– Definition - is a way of putting political ideologies and political parties on a line. It is a useful tool for political analysis.

The centre is associated with the democratic form of government.

The extreme ends of the line on both the right and the left are totalitarian.

Read Page 255 – Political Parties

The Political Spectrum (traditional model)

Political Ideology

- Definition: common set of beliefs or ideas of an individual, or group.

Political Spectrum Chart

Left Wing Centre Right Wing-more liberal  - can take either side -more conservative

-support change in order to improve welfare of all citizens

-tradition is important but change is supported if most people want it

-tradition is important and change should be treated with caution  

-government should play a larger role in people's lives

(Ex. social services)

-government should play a role only if it improves the lives of citizens

-government should play a smaller role in people’s lives  

-law and order are important to protect rights of all citizens fairly and equally  

-law and order are important to encourage and protect right of individuals

-emphasis of law and order to protect society and its traditions

-more freedom to individuals and less power to police

  -less freedom to individuals and more power to police

Communism Socialism Capitalism Fascism

Left Wing Centre Right Wing

The Larger Political Spectrum

Government owns and controls the land and the means of production.

Government owns and controls key industries while allowing some private enterprise.

Government plays a minimal role in directing the economy. Private corporations enjoy many freedoms.

Government allows free enterprise but only when it furthers the goals of the state (the gov’t).

Radical Moderate Radical

Communism Socialism Capitalism Fascism

Left Wing Centre Right Wing

The Larger Political Spectrum

Radical Moderate Radical

Communism Socialism Capitalism Fascism

Left Wing Centre Right Wing

The Larger Political Spectrum

Radical Moderate Radical

Communism Socialism Capitalism Fascism

Left Wing Centre Right Wing

The Larger Political Spectrum

Radical Moderate Radical

Communism Socialism Capitalism Fascism

Left Wing Centre Right Wing

The Larger Political Spectrum

Radical Moderate Radical

Communism Socialism Capitalism Fascism

Left Wing Centre Right Wing

The Larger Political Spectrum

Radical Moderate Radical

Communism Socialism Capitalism Fascism

Left Wing Centre Right Wing

The Larger Political Spectrum

Radical Moderate Radical

Communism Socialism Capitalism Fascism

Left Wing Centre Right Wing

The Larger Political Spectrum

Radical Moderate Radical

Communism Socialism Capitalism Fascism

Left Wing Centre Right Wing

The Larger Political Spectrum

Radical Moderate Radical

The Larger Political Spectrum

Government takes control by force and controls media, discourages religion. Citizens have little freedom.

Government believes in a hierarchical society, militarism, and limits citizens freedoms.

Socialism Capitalism

FascismCommunism

•Totalitarianism

•Dictatorship

Canada’s Political Spectrum

NDP Liberals ConservativesReform/

Canadian Alliance(Recently joined Conservatives)

Communism SocialismDemocratic Socialism

Capitalism Fascism

The Canadian Political Spectrum

Political Parties in CanadaCanada has political parties at both the federal and provincial levels of government.

TotalitarianismDefinition: a state regulates nearly every

aspect of public and private life.

Found at the extreme ends of the political spectrum on both the right and the left.

The state exercises total control in this form of government.

The individual exists to serve the state.

Communism (far left) and Fascism (far right) of the political spectrum.

The Political Spectrum (left)Supports economic equality, change and

progress in society

Socialism and the Social Democratic parties are located on the left inside and around the circle

The extreme left is associated with CommunismWhere does China fit today?

CommunismDefinition: An economic system

characterized by the collective ownership of property and by the organization of labour for the common advantage of all members.

The government plans and controls the economy and a single party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.

Bolshevik’s – 1917 communist revolution in Russia under Vladimir Lenin

All means of production (factories & farms) and distribution (railway & roads) were publically (government) owned.

No private or individual ownership of business or land.

Karl Marx wrote the ‘Communist Manifesto’ in which he indicated that economic equality would only be achieved after a violent revolution. (Anti-Capitalism)

China became a communist country in 1949.

SocialismBelieve in economic equality but only

if it can be achieved through voting.

Democratic socialist political parties can be found in most modern democratic countries, including Canada.

What party in Canada believes in socialism?

The Political Spectrum (right)

Supports tradition and opposes change in society.

The extreme right is associated with Fascism.

Because the beliefs of conservatism and liberalism are democratic they are located inside the circle.

FascismBegan in Italy in 1922 with the

regime of Benito Mussolini.

In Germany the National Socialist Party came to power in 1933.

This was a backward looking political philosophy which stressed militarism and racial purity.

Communism Socialism Capitalism Fascism

Left Wing Centre Right Wing

The Political Spectrum

Government owns and controls the land and the means of production.

Government owns and controls key industries while allowing some private enterprise.

Government plays a minimal role in directing the economy. Private corporations enjoy many freedoms.

Government allows free enterprise but only when it furthers the goals of the government.

Radical Moderate (Liberalism) Radical