- for those of you who missed seeing these slides, or would like to refer to the points in them again for revision or for clarification of some of the features raised in class. It would also be appropriate to note here that this survey is, of course, not comprehensive, and definitely far from exhaustive. Nevertheless, I hope this has been or will be helpful in helping you understand a little more clearly and think a little further about these several systems and ideologies, even if my presentation slides not particularly visually stimulating!
A Survey of Political Systems and Ideologies
I. Political Systems
A Short History E.g. Ancient Greece and Rome (rule of one; of the few; of the many; mixed)
E.g. Ancient China (rule of the Son of Heaven, the King, the Emperor—absolute monarchy)
20th century: Democratic, Communist, Totalitarian (Fascism, Nazism, Dictatorship)
Today: Democratic and Totalitarian Regimes
Talking about
Right and Left for Political
Systems in terms of degrees of political control, and structures of government (who rules and by what means)
For instance:
Left: Anarchy (‘no government’), Communist (in theory), “Socialist”
Centre: Democracy (‘some government’)
Right: “Socialist”/Communist (in practice) Totalitarian (‘all government’)
Plausibly considered ‘Left’-leaningAnarchy*: No formal government; government is an unnecessary evil; abolish private property; utopia of rational individuals co-operating in harmony based on their enlightened self-interest
DemocracyDemos – People
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people.” – Abraham Lincoln (can you paraphrase the main idea here?)
Idea of the mandate
Parliamentary Democracy: government elected by the people (universal suffrage) in free and fair elections
Liberal Democracy: emphasis on the individual
Social Democracy: emphasis on the community of which individuals are a part
Other various kinds of democratic states (e.g. with constitutional monarchy)
To the Extreme Right: Absolutism, Totalitarianism, Dictatorship, Fascism, Despotism
Rule of the strong man, single dominating party
Absence of a civil society, of civil liberties
Presence of a strong military, police
Repression (often extreme, violent) of political dissidents
No area of a citizen’s life too private or personal; identify with official ideology (e.g. happiness)
Fear and acquiescence of the majority
Examples? Italy’s Mussolini, Spain’s Franco, Germany’s Hitler, Cuba’s Castro, Iraq’s Saddam Hussein
- Is there such a thing as enlightened Ddespotism?
Absolute monarchy need not be a bad thing
Living Possibilities for us TodayDemocratic States
Totalitarian Regimes
II. Political Ideologies
On the Left side of the spectrum for Political Ideologies…Socialism with its…
Ideals of Distributive Equality
Opposition to the excesses and undesirable implications of private ownership
Fundamental Socialists: abolish the free market and capitalism
Reformist Socialists: reform the capitalist system
Note on “Socialist Democracy” (Some communists like to think of communist governments as being social democracies) and Socialism’s distinction from Communism (one important difference is that there is no advocating of violent revolution in socialism)
*
Note: Perhaps it's tricky to place socialism here on the left of the spectrum as some forms of it call for very strong state control (as opposed to personal and economic freedoms) of the economy. However, since there are also some forms such as that in which all means of production are shared between the citizens in cooperatives (for instance) and where the society sounds rather anarchist-like in its utopian formulations, I'm keeping "socialism" here. Just note that there are various strands of "socialist" thought and tendencies. Think in terms of "left" and "right" insofar as it provides a useful framework for understanding and remembering the various ideologies. If it's confusing for you, I'm inclined to say: junk it for now!LiberalismClassical Liberalism: based on a social contract theory; people the ultimate source of political power; emphasis on individualism and civil liberties (of expression, of beliefs…); limited government; free market economy
(sounds like… Libertarianism?)
Towards the Right of the SpectrumConservatism: Limited government intervention in economics--support for free trade, the market economy, private property ownership; equality of opportunities, not of results; reduced government spending on welfare; holding of more conservative, traditional views on ethics and law
Examples of Conservative Parties (US Republicans, Christian Democrats in Italy and Germany, UK Conservatives)
Even more towards the Right: Autocratic, AuthoritarianNot exactly totalitarian; state control does not extend, or seek to extend, to all (or almost all) spheres of a citizen’s life; there is room for individualism
More paternalistic: public interest defined by the government (who knows best)
Society to be advanced through expert central planning
So, is democracy the best government for all peoples at all times?- "What we may be witnessing is not just the end of the Cold War, or the passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of history as such: that is, the end point of mankind's ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government."
(Fukuyama, "The End of History?”, 1989)
Consider:
Pros of Democracy- Every man or woman of suitable age able to vote can vote (universal suffrage)—individuals get to express their political sentiments, and influence election outcome
- There is equality of opportunity in the sense that no healthy, normal person is from the outset disqualified from seeking political office
- The government elected is accountable (e.g. morally) to the electorate from which it derives its mandate
- There is a system of checks and balances on the use of political power (e.g. elections at regular intervals, “in-built mechanism for peaceful revolution”)
- The common man does matter
Cons of Democracy- The right people may not be voted in
(showmanship may sway more than actual competence; nature of the particular electorate) – e.g. Yeltsin in 1991; country plunged into chaos
- The right policies may not be carried out (system of checks and balances can lead to inefficiency, lack of consensus that may paralyse government or lead to the blocking of the best policies)
- The “will of the people” may not be accurately reflected in the government that comes to power (first-past-the-post system, lack of alternative candidates, “tyranny of the majority”)
