Political Ideologies

Democracy

• A type of gov’t which allows citizens to elect their leaders.

• Other characteristics associated with democracy:

• freedom of the press • freedom of religion • innocent until proven guilty

Liberalism

• Simply put, most democracies offer a range of political choices between liberal on the left of the political spectrum and conservative on the right. Liberals generally believe:

• people are mostly good by nature • hence we should enjoy intellectual, religious

and economic freedom • Liberals opposed the idea of “Divine Right of

kings” during the French Revolution

Conservatism

• Conservative philosophy comes from the Latin term “conservare” which means to save traditions and established government & religious institutions. Edmund Burke was one of the original conservative philosophers.

Totalitarianism

• A type of government which demands total obedience of its citizens. The gov’t controls every aspect of life in the country. (ie: Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s USSR).

Capitalism

• an economic system in which all citizens are free to own their own property and equipment for production.

• Competition between businesses and industries keeps prices fair and drives the economy.

• Usually goes hand in hand with democracy (USA, England, France, Canada...)

Socialism

• aims for economic equality and individual freedom

• believes the community, not wealthy individuals should own the means of production in Canada

• the NDP has traditionally been our socialist party-it has forced the mainline parties (Liberal & Conservative) to implement socialism

Socialism for Canadians

• For Canadians this translates into a high level of government intervention with (taxes are steep to pay for)

• Old age & disability pensions • Employment insurance • Health care • Social Assistance

Communism

• An economic system created by Karl Marx in his “Communist Manifesto.” There is no private property. It is taken from the wealthy class (bourgeoisie) by the working class (proletariat) in a revolution.

• All means of production are henceforth owned by the state (public) – IE: farms, factories and equipment

Fascism

• Fascism is born out of a crisis in a country • A “father figure” declares that he has

solutions • Italy’s Benito Mussolini 1922 - 1945 • Germany’s Adolf Hitler 1933 - 1945

Fascism looks like

• Extreme nationalism • parades, rallies, banners and flag displays • In Germany - belief in a superior race • a belief that the state has been cheated and is

in need of international justice • Minorities can be mistreated if they do not

match the template set by dictator

• Examples of such “castaways” in Nazi Germany:

• JewsHandicapped

• Intellectual “weaklings” • Political opponents – It wasn’t safe to talk politics

Fascism

• Fascism can lead to militarism • Italy took over Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1935 • Germany invaded Austria, Czechoslovakia and

Poland... • A dictator takes over and democracy is tossed

out - along with many personal freedoms • Fascists are opposed to communism

Review Of the Political Spectrum

• Totalitarianism = total dictatorship • Totalitarianism tends to live at both (extreme)

ends of the spectrum.

Canada’s Political Spectrum

• Conservatism - a tad to the right of centre • Liberalism - a tad to the left of centre• Socialism (NDP) - stretches a little more to left.

Civil Disobedience

• The act of intentionally breaking the law to protest the laws one considers unjust (bad)

• Three principles:1. Does not involve violence2. Should only be used against laws that are

seriously harmful3. Requires taking responsibility for one’s actions.

Must face punishment to show the strength of one’s beliefs.

Famous Examples

• Mohandas Gandhi used non-violent civil disobedience to protest taxing of the poor and discrimination of women and the under privileged

• Nelson Mandela used non-violent civil disobedience to protest apartheid in South Africa

• Martin Luther King Jr. used it to fight against segregation in the USA

Clayoquot Sound: a Canadian Example

• Provincial government wanted to log the forest in Clayoquot Sound

• Protesters organized a “sit-down” where they sat in the middle of the road to block trucks and workers

• Police had to arrest the protesters• 750 people were arrested• Caused the government to rethink logging

practices and change their policy