Modern Political Ideologies PDF

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Professor Labedz notes, pretty much all exams are based on in class notes, enough information to easily get an A in the course...

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Political Theory 3302 Modern Political Ideologies 3:00- 4:15 Introduction to Political Ideologies Tuesday 1/22 What is a Political Ideology?

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A style of the way a government is run The thought process behind how governments are run

The varied meaning of political ideology

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General political orientation o Usually generalized ideologies, but normally the ideologies have very specific topics o Ideology o No depth so no real mission statement

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Zealot o one sided view of things o Alex Johns- conspiracy theorists

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Dreamer o individual who believes that the impossible can happen (end of the world, equal distribution of resources, etc.)

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Consciousness of society o Ideologies are not only attributed to individuals, or groups, but to nations also. o Beliefs/ idea you have o Attitudes  Likes/ dislikes o Value  primitive preference for certain modes of conduct which (if abided by) then will result in a desired end state of existence

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Catalyst for criticism o There will always be a prominent ideology. The alternate ideologies provide for the new way of doing things; they help criticize the establishment

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Mental filter o View finder analogy, topic of environment in liberal viewfinder vs conservative o individual attribute/ group attribute/ functional attributes

Defining the term

- Political ideology (for political scientists) means? - A system of beliefs that explains and justifies a preferred social, political and economic order and may offer a strategy for the attainment of it. o Set of beliefs that explain and justifies whatever they believe o Explain and justify things socially politically and economically o Plan of action

Thursday 1/24 Functions of ideology

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Solidarity o Being part of a group bigger than just yourself (liberal/conservative, Jewish/catholic)

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Organization o Group of individuals who are perusing something that is common between them o Everyone has a role in the organization (gives people things to do)

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Expression o Wearing a hammer and sickle shirt to represent your views, identification

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Manipulation o All ideologies produce winners and losers o

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Communication o Using few words to understand what you are a part of, language o There will always be things that we agree and disagree on o Democrats and republicans can find common ground on anything

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Affect o Emotional connection with others

Types of ideologies

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Status quo o Keeping things, the way they are politically, socially and economically o Based on context!!!!

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Revolutionary o Fundamentally dissatisfied with the political, social, and economic norms

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Reformist o Trying to “upset the apple cart” politically, socially, and economically

o Is satisfied with the apple carts, but wants to change a few apples here and there o Needs to change some things at the margins to make things better The Framework of Analysis IMPORTANT

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Emphasis on the social, political, or economic o Does not mean that the emphasis lies equally on all 3

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Role played by the state Actor(s) emphasized Goals Prescriptions o What is needed to reach wellness

Liberalism Origins of Liberalism

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Represents the first modern and dominant ideology today It is the oldest and broadest definition, liberalism is a “system of government that guarantees liberty.” Liberty = freedom Represented a direct assault on the organization structure of medieval society

Pope HRE / \ Archbishops Monarch / \ Cardinals nobility / \ Bishops merchants / \ Monseigneur Peasants /________\ Priest “Catholicism example” HRE = Holy Roman Emperor

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Who supported it? Who opposed it? o Merchants and peasants opposed// everyone above supported

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Key doctrine/ idea? o Individualism- doctrine that each and every human being should be given an opportunity to achieve what she/he defines as her/his highest degree of human fulfillment.

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Three facets of Liberalism o Social

o Economic o Political

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Social Transformation  Each and every one of us have and will maintain right by our existence. Rights you need to translate into protection o Premise on the argument that we have basic rights “by nature” o Emphasis on liberty. What does it mean to be free?  To be free is to be lacking constraints  Public opinion might give you constraints o How does one know what restrictions should exist? o Answer = utilitarianism  Jeremy Betham  James Mill

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Utilitarianism o Three Principles:  Every object has a utility  Utility is subjective  Purpose of life is to satisfy pleasure and minimize pain  Anti- paternalism  Restrictions or actions?

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Political transformation o The advocated changes in the political realm were embodied in four principles  1. Popular sovereignty  source of legal authority in a given territory over a set of individuals o master of legal domain  free from external interference  citizens are the source of legal authority over themselves in that space responsible for how determining how much or little you interact with others.  2. popular consent  legitimacy is rightfulness  politics is a process whereby communities pursue collective goals and deal with conflicts authoritatively by means of government  When government legitimacy is present, individuals  Popular consent is the right of the rulers to rule by the consent of the rule (by the permission granted by those who are ruled)  The contributions of Thomas Hobbs  Leviathan ,1651o zero to do with classical liberalism  The contributions of John Locke  1689 Second Treatise of Government

o Influenced by Hobbs  Devine right of kings  Both want “down with divine right, up with popular consent” liberalism is anti-paternalism

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eliminate the “mom and dad know best” mentality

A law is a constraint on social behavior Popular = citizens Popular sovereignty and popular consent

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Hobbes and Locke’s contribution

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The state of nature o When no government exists, we are masters of our owns social behaviors o Stack of toys analogy, we want them all and everyone else wants them all as well

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Social Contract Theory o Voluntary agreement on the part of rational individuals to create a government and give up all personal sovereignty to government to get out of the danger of the natural state.

Government legitimacy? o Doctrine of divine right

Civil war England 1645 1660 wanted Charlie II back steward restoration leviathan provides philosophical justification as to why Charlie should come back to the thrown Rational, acquisitive nature … (Acquisition), leads to a solidary, poor, brutish and short life. Rational, positive (Locke) peace and good will, individuals will leave and go to government Give up personal sovereignty to be part of government for safety Locke… government would be created to only to deal with differences that come with rational positive ideas Ideal government for Hobbs is absolute monarchy (absolute control) Ideal government for Locke is limited monarchy (does very few things, needs a council)

If people are causing trouble and the absolute monarch doesn’t take action, people can rebel (Hobbs)

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Advocates for Bruce the Shark in Finding Nemo

People can rebel when the government overreaches given powers (Locke)

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Advocates for Nemo and Dory in Finding Nemo

Limit those who Govern

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Fears involved post-feudal government? Three means of limiting rulers: o “Responsible” government o “Mixed” government  Baron De Montesquieu; Spirit of the Laws 1758  Government of one, the few, and the many  Government of one (president), the few (courts)” best” or “highest”, and the many (House of Reps)  X -> Y | Abuse of ^ Towards or away from  v government power | center creates problems  Everyone wants to be the manipulator (power)  He is advocating for gang warfare in the setup of government o One gang can control a whole hood, if many gangs are in one hood, no one controls all of it o South park ep Kenny becomes pimp (watch)

NEED 2/14 NOTES

Economic Transformation

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As in the social and government realms, liberals advocated a transformation in the economic realm as well

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Took aim at mercantilism. What is mercantilism? “set of ideas that claim the state should expand its direct role in the economy and control foreign trade for the purpose of maximizing national wealth and power.” o Four assumptions: o Power o Power equals wealth o They work with each other o Base of wealth was tagged to amount of precious metals you had

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One is able to export more to two, so country one becomes bigger and country two shrinks

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Implement a tax to keep country 2 small o If you have more government involvement, then wealth goes up. o If you have less government involvement, then wealth goes down.

Protection implementations: (mercantilism)

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Tariffs Quota Research and development Strong advocacy for government educating their citizens

End game is you rely on no one and everyone relies on you Classic Economic liberalism

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Mercantilism is not the liberal approach to economics (exact opposite actually) Central Hypothesis? o If you have less government involvement, then wealth goes up. o If you have more government involvement, then wealth goes down. Focus is on positive aspects of human nature

Behavioral Consequences

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1st behavioral consequence: o Strong separation between economic and political sphere  Doctrine of laissez-faire (let do)  Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations (1776)  Rational individuals  We make an economic choice in hopes to improve your “things”  We are hardwired as human beings, we never want to see a decline and always want to see an increase in social status  Hypothesis: “invisible hand” for the promotion and national wealth

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Dynamics behind economic growth: o Balance between savings and investments

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Governments role: o Guarantee economic liberty  E.g., Enforce contracts; currency; weights and measures o Set the moral tempo for society o Provide for public works

o Promote cultural activities

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2nd Behavioral Consequence: o Greater growth for free markets than for state dominated economies in the 19th and 20th centuries  Examples: United Kingdom, United States vs Japan, Russia, Germany

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3rd Behavioral Consequence o Increase in poverty and inequality; both internally and externally

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4th Behavioral Consequence o “boom and bust” cycles  How laissez-faire economists would handle these problems:  Scarcity would lead one to expect greater savings  Loans would become more readily available  Businesses borrow, productivity and employment increase  For quicker solution: o Decreased worker wages  Keynesian Economics (neo-liberal economics) (John Maynard Keynes)  Developed because of problems associated with classical liberal economic order.  Critics complete laissez- faire. Why?  Hypothesis: government intervention in a market economy stimulates economic growth and employment and keeps economy stable.  In economic downturns, advocated massive government spending in the economy. Why?  “Multiplier effect” How a state should intervene

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purchase goods and services o government established contracts o Example: Lockheed Martin & U.S. Navy

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Hire unemployed workers o Example: FDR’s “New Deal” legislation

WPA: 1935-1943 (Works Progress Administration) CCC: 1933-1942 (Civilian Conservation Corps) Explanation for economic recovery

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Workers spend wages

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Businesses spend workers money Businesses earn more and expand Economic recovery takes place Keynes also supported deficit spending. Why?

Other methods of government intervention:

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Manipulation of interest rates Wage laws Taxation

What’s new in neoliberalism

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Benefits (social, political, and economic) of classical liberalism not shared by all Different ways to understand “liberty”. This shift lead to three reforms that became the core of the new (neo) liberalism

Reforms of Modern Liberalism

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1. Politically/ governmentally? 2. Socially? 3. Economically?

De Jure discrimination (law) De facto discrimination (fact) Civil liberties (freedom from) vs civil rights (freedom to)

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not to be used interchangeably both protections CL is quest of classical liberal CL is protection from government CR is protection that is given to you from other individuals

The Framework for analysis

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Emphasis on the social, economic, political? (All of them) Role plays by the state (recrafting of the institutions) (stay acting purposefully) (neo boom and bust) Actor(s) emphasized (individuals classical) (individuals and government neo)

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Goals (individualism classical) (expanded individualism neo) Prescriptions (imagine what the “doctor” would give you if you’re sick in both neo and classical)

FINISH NOTES EXAM 1 BEGINNING EXAM 2

Conservative Origins of Classical Conservatism

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Backlash against classical liberalism Ideology of the “community” Above all… preservationists This approach, more so than others, is historically based

Types of Conservatism

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Type 1: Classical (original) conservatism o Toryism o The ideology of the hierarchical community of the feudal era Key attributes:

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1. Hierarchy is good (in human affairs) (natural)

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3.Partly rational, partly animalistic

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5. “the glue that binds” History o state of nature is the basis of conservativism and was built on a lie

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6. Position on human equality? o The more rational you are, determines where you should be in the hierarchical chain

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7. “Noblesse oblige”

2. Some “C” words are less offensive than others o Community is good o Continuity o Cohesion o Conserving 4. The states function? o Role of government is no more or no less than to fulfill the mission of coherence, cohesion, and continuity of community.

o “the responsibility of the nobles” o spider man analogy Three Spheres of Classical Conservatism

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Social Sphere: o Position on individual(ism)?  Individuals recognize their individualism, but unite as a community  “the individual is foolish, but the species is wise” o View of Society?  Mixed salad- liberalism  Patch quilt could be the same (beauty in whole thing vs beauty in individual patches)  Melting pot- conservatism o View of rights?  “know your place  peasants do not have the same rights as the nobles, and the nobles do not have the same rights as the kings, etc. o Freedom of expression?  Censorship unless it promotes the establishment  Any expression that is provided to the citizens is that that promotes the society moving forward, any exceptions lead to government intervention and or public ridicule

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Government Sphere o Origin of government legitimacy?  The tradition/ history that has developed makes for legitimacy and no questioning o Society as “living whole” manifested where?  **Constitution? ** o View of constitution?  Evolutionary life force that is built upon Tradition, customs, and history that have evolved over time. o Purpose of politics?  Should not and never will be a grand master plan for creating pure public good.  Politics will forever be the art of muddling through  Shit happens and you have to fix problems as we go  Ex: legalization of marijuana  Taking problems in an incremental way  Legalize medicinal in small area and evaluate and see how it turns out Conservative positions on various government/ political concepts

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Change? o Staunch believers that change shouldn’t change, although they don’t believe in radical change o Change and adjust little by little

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State power? o Goldilocks o Too much power is bad, too little power is bad, just the right amount of government power is good o If it works there is no need to fix it

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Government type? o Constitutional monarchy

Economic Sphere

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Position on land owning aristocracy? o Those who know what’s going on should be in control; aristocrats owned the land and had the power so they are in control

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Mercantilism? o We’re going to do things that will benefit all of us

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Position(s) on laissez-faire economy? o ??? “props to laissez faire”

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position(s) on welfare state economy? o ???

Modern Conservation

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over time a new status quo emerged

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Type 1: Individualist Conservatives o Support for free market economics (all)

hybrid quality of modern conservatives o brings 2 strands  brings some qualities from classical conservativism  emphasis on religion  human inequality  emphasis on morality   brings some qualities from classical liberalism  individualism  competition  self interest

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Supply and demand dictates what is permissible socially, politically and economically solutions to society’s problems are simple. Question: what are the problems & what are the solutions?  “government is too big and not the friend, regulates too much”

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Type 2: Religious Conservatives o Social realm is key (social) o Equate appropriate culture with religious principles o Role of government?  Government intervention only after public damnation

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Type 3: Neo-Conservatives o Disenchanted welfare-state liberals (economic) o Position on welfare state?  Creates leeches o Criticize the “culture of capitalism”  Created a society of humans that are morally, culturally polluted inept with no particular mooring whatsoever

Framework for analysis

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Emphasis on the social, political, economic? o All 3 o Big box metaphor o 1 (all) 2 (social) 3 (economic)

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role played by the state o government can be active or inactive (get in get out) o 1 can do anything to make sure the “blanket” stays in tact o 2 government should be extremely active to keep religion o 3 get in get out

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actor(s) emphasized o 1 community o 2 state (religious) religion o 3 government, individuals

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goals o 1 individualism, liberty o 2 “heaven on earth” o 3 keep history, community

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prescriptions o 1. “too much emphasis on me, not enough on me” “too much government” medicine: anything that is required to bring back the emphasis on we

o 2. “not enough religion” medicine: do everything required to get back o 3. “leeches” medicine: get government out Socialism Overview:

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A critique of classical liberal principles and effects The ideology...