The Age of Political Extremes

In a socialist system, the means of production are owned AND operated by the public or the government

Products and services are then redistributed evenly

Socialists believe that a country’s wealth shouldn’t be owned by a small minority of people

Socialists also don’t believe in private property, they think that everything should be shared among the collective, or community

Currently, no country has achieved a successful socialist state that adheres to true socialist principles.

Most countries (even Communist ones) have adopted some form of capitalism

Capitalism is based on private ownership, a free market and competition for products and services

A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy through a single party.

The party maintains power by claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.

Some people think that communism is the economic stage after a country goes though a socialist stage

Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto, saying that the failure of capitalism is inevitable and that a country goes through different stages and ends in communism

Marx also said that the exploited working class will rise up and overthrow capitalism and then gain ownership of the means of production

In 1917, the Bolsheviks overthrew the monarchy in Russia and set up a Communist state in Russia –it ends in 1989

In 1949, Chinese Revolutionaries overthrew the Nationalist government and set up a Communist state in China –China is still “Communist” but has allowed some capitalism

In 1958, revolutionaries under Fidel Castro overthrew the government and set up a Communist state in Cuba –Cuba is still Communist today

A political belief arguing that a nation has the right to declare itself an independent state, usually based on ethnicity and a common history

Nationalists think that every person in the nation should speak the same language, have the same heritage and practice the same culture

Nationalists think that a person’s ethnicity is their most defining characteristic

Authoritarian governments demand strict obedience by their citizens and often suppress individual expression and thought

Some authoritarian governments allow for minimal personal freedoms and can also have trouble in mobilizing and controlling the entire population

Authoritarian governments may lack a specific ideology, meaning the only agenda they have is to control the citizens

Totalitarian governments regulate every aspect of nation, both public and private

One leader becomes the figurehead for the entire country

The government maintains control by using a secret police, propaganda and a personality cult for the one leader

Totalitarianism is considered a more extreme stage of authoritarianism

In a fascist political system, the needs of the individual are considered less important than the needs of the country

Fascists take the idea of nationalism to an extreme and think that everything should serve the country

Fascism also preaches intolerance of people who are “different”: different races, religions, ethnicities, languages, cultures

In 1940s Italy, Benito Mussolini set up a fascist state by relying on censorship and oppression of dissent

In 1930s Germany, Adolf Hitler set up a fascist state by relying combining nationalism with totalitarianism

Considered a “western” ideology that emphasizes individual liberty and equality

Liberalism supports freedom of speech and thought, along with open and free elections and a market economy (meaning people buying and selling things by their own free will without too much government regulation)

Examples (present day): United States, Britain, Canada, Western Europe