Micah B - Final Project

Political Ideologies Micah Boland

Collectivism Collectivism is the political theory of putting the society's needs over the individuals wants. More specifically, with collectivism you would be look after a community of people rather than worrying about your own success. Collectivism concentrates on accessible healthcare, charity for those in need, a liveable wage for all, everyone has a job and there is a very low percentage of homelessness. Collectivism is having everyone's back, when someone who would initially be able to work a full time job gets into an accident, a collectivist political system would be able to assist them.

Communism Communism is a middle-class political movement whose goal is to create a version of society where the farms and the factories are divided among the people under dictatorship rule. This system evolved through the influence of a man named Karl Marx who believed that the class system should be demolished and every individual should have a job to be able to support their needs. Unfortunately, communism evolved into a very extremist political view where force was used in order to achieve the ideal society. Communism provided the people with stability though many times it faltered and citizens ended up starving. A fine example of a communist dictator is Josef Stalin, a very brash man who would destroy all opposition in order to keep his way of society. “Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism it’s just the opposite.” - John Kenneth Galbraith

Socialism (Utopian + Democratic) ● Utopian socialism can be defined as a vision of a futuristic, ideal society pushing towards progression in what most saw as unrealistic and ungrounded. A large advocator and leader for Utopian Socialism was Robert Owen, who came about during the industrial revolution to provide workers with safe working conditions at his estate, New Lanark. He provided the people with reasonable hours and a livable wage. ● Democratic Socialism is defined as having an economy where the production is socially and collectively controlled under a democratic government. It’s seen as an anti-authoritarian socialism where most things are managed by the people. Democratic socialism is prevalent in europe, like italy and Luxembourg and a few middle eastern countries.

Liberalism

Liberalism Liberalism is the middle ground on the political spectrum where liberty, equality of law and consent of the governed are valued. Because liberalism is the middle ground, there’s a wide range of political views mixed in with it but the general belief is rooted in individual rights, freedom of religion and speech, democracy and market economy. A market economy is an economic system where the prices of good and services are determined by competition, supply and demand. John Locke is seen as the father of liberalism, a philosopher and medical researcher. He argues that “every man has a natural right to life, liberty and property, and governments must not violate these rights.”

Individualism Individualism is the political ideology of independence and self-reliance, worry about your own wellbeing and success and leave everyone to their own devices. An individualist society believes very strongly in survival of the fittest seeing as most things have to be paid for by the individual and not by the government or the community. Right on the spectrum, the opposite of collectivism. Individualism concentrates on individual success, many of the time with a class system involved to differentiate the economic separation of upper class, middle class and lower class citizens.

Conservatism Conservatism is the political ideology committed to traditional values and ideas with opposition to change or innovation. Conservatives believe in the traditions of old, property rights, religious freedoms and a parliamentary government. This ideology has evolved throughout the years with political figures such as adam smith who wrote the book The Wealth of Nations and montesquieu who served as inspiration towards adam as well as many others with ideas of the separation of power and Despotism. “If you’re not a liberal at 20, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative at 40, you have no brain” - Winston Churchill.

Fascism Fasicm is a far right authoritarian and ultra nationalism political ideal characterized by dictatorship ruling, opposition suppression, “pure race” ideologies and regression into the past. In many of the cases of Fascism in the past, there were eugenics involved as well. most prevalent in Nazi germany, Adolf Hitler the dictator at the time believed that blonde, blue eyes and white was the superior race of human and that jewish people were the bottom of the barrel. Because of this idea, he murdered millions in an attempt to maintain it. Fascism as well as Communism are rooted in destruction of opposition and genocide though on completely different terms.