Unit 3 - Ideologies

In this unit, we will be looking at the ideologies of the state and its citizens. Some of these ideologies reflect more on the state, others on the people and their political parties, and others overlap the two. Some of these ideologies have only come into existence in the twentieth century, while others go back hundreds of years. Some ideologies mean one thing in the United States and something different from the rest of the world, such as for liberalism. The following subunit covers many of the traditional and best-known ideologies, however, the list is not all-inclusive.

Historically, the political spectrum was seen as one-dimensional, left and right, representing the government's position on the economic and defense issues of the day. But in the twentieth century, the New Deal and other social issues led to the creation of another dimension, confusing many who were trying to understand where they stood on both the economic/defense issues and social issues. At the end of this unit, you will be able to take a test and see where your political views fall on the multidimensional political spectrum.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 30 hours.

• Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • compare and contrast direct and indirect democracy, illiberal democracy, authoritarianism, and fascism;

  • compare and contrast democratic socialism and democratic capitalism;

  • critique the political and economic frameworks of socialism, Marxism, and communism;

  • identify the key principles of classical conservatism and classical liberalism;

  • illustrate the defining features of modern U.S. conservatives and modern U.S. liberals;

  • explain the growth of Islamism as a political ideology;

  • define feminism and describe its permutations over time;

  • analyze the roots of environmentalism and the contemporary issues facing the movement; and

  • situate key political ideologies on the political spectrum.

3.1: State Ideology

3.1.1. Democracy

A) Types of Republic or Democracies

Read this chapter through the "Other Forms of Government: Monarchy". When you finish, you should be familiar with the concepts of direct democracy, initiatives, referenda, republics, and illiberal democracies.

B) The Moral Foundations of Politics: democracy and Majority Rule

Watch both parts of this lecture on democracy and majority rule. Shapiro's focus in these two lectures is majority rule, democratic competition, and representation. Providing both historical and contemporary examples, Shapiro shows how majority rule lends legitimacy to collective decisions. He also explores concerns about the tyranny of the majority. True democracies require both majority rule, but also the protection of minority rights.

Source: Ian Shapiro, https://oyc.yale.edu/

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3.1.2. Democratic Capitalist

If you recall, to "study politics is to "study power – who gets what, and how". Since politics is about the distribution of resources in a society, studying economics is critical. Some of the most contentious political questions involve questions of economics: How much should wealthy citizens pay in taxes? How much should lower-income citizens pay in taxes? Where should those tax dollars go? What is fair, and what is not fair? In this chapter, will read about "democratic capitalism", which is the United States' answer to some of these questions of how resources should be distributed in a society. Pay close attention to the "three pillars" of a democratic capitalist political-economic system.

3.1.3. Capitalism in the United States

To "study politics is to "study power – who gets what, and how". Since politics is about the distribution of resources in a society, studying economics is critical. Some of the most contentious political questions involve questions of economics: How much should wealthy citizens pay in taxes? How much should lower-income citizens pay in taxes? Where should those tax dollars go? What is fair, and what is not fair? In this chapter, will read about "democratic capitalism", which is the United States' answer to some of these questions of how resources should be distributed in a society. Pay close attention to the "three pillars" of a democratic capitalist political-economic system.

Democratic capitalism is a political, economic, and social system with a market-based economy that is largely based on a democratic political system.

Learning Objective

Demonstrate how capitalism in the US is controlled by its democratic political system

Key Points

• The United States is often seen as having a democratic capitalist political-economic system.

• The three pillars of democratic capitalism include economic incentives through free markets, fiscal responsibility, and a liberal moral-cultural system that encourages pluralism.

• Some commentators argue that, although economic growth under capitalism has led to democratization in the past, it may not do so in the future; for example, authoritarian regimes have been able to manage economic growth without making concessions to greater political freedom.

• Proponents of capitalism have argued that indices of economic freedom correlate strongly with higher income, life expectancy, and standards of living.

• Democratic Peace Theory states that capitalist democracies rarely make war with each other, and have little internal conflict. However, critics argue that this may have nothing to do with the capitalist nature of the states, and more to do with the democratic nature instead.

Terms

• Capitalism: A socio-economic system based on the abstraction of resources into the form of privately-owned money, wealth, and goods, with economic decisions made largely through the operation of a market unregulated by the state

• Pluralism: A social system based on mutual respect for each other's cultures among various groups that make up a society, wherein subordinate groups do not have to forsake their lifestyle and traditions, but, rather, can express their culture and participate in the larger society free of prejudice.

• Tripartite: In three parts

• Polity: An organizational structure of the government of a state, church, etc.

Example

Singapore's de facto one-party system has been described as an example of an authoritarian capitalist system that other authoritarian governments may follow. However, polls have recently suggested that the ruling PAP party is suffering declines in popularity, suggesting that increasing material gains may not make up for a lack of political freedoms. The Singaporean government has introduced limited political concessions, suggesting that authoritarian capitalist systems may transition to democracy in time.

Democratic Capitalism and the US

The United States is often seen as having a democratic capitalist political-economic system. Democratic capitalism, also known as capitalist democracy, is a political, economic, and social system and ideology based on a tripartite arrangement of a market-based economy that is based predominantly on a democratic polity. The three pillars include economic incentives through free markets, fiscal responsibility, and a liberal moral-cultural system, which encourages pluralism.

In the United States, both the Democratic and Republican Parties subscribe to this (little "d" and "r") democratic-republican philosophy. Most liberals and conservatives generally support some form of democratic capitalism in their economic practices. The ideology of "democratic capitalism" has been in existence since medieval times. It is based firmly on the principles of liberalism, which include liberty and equality. Some of its earliest promoters include many of the American founding fathers and subsequent Jeffersonians.

This economic system supports a capitalist, free-market economy subject to control by a democratic political system that is supported by the majority. It stands in contrast to authoritarian capitalism by limiting the influence of special interest groups, including corporate lobbyists, on politics. Some argue that the United States has become more authoritarian in recent decades.

The Relationship between Democracy and Capitalism

The relationship between democracy and capitalism is a contentious area in theory and among popular political movements. The extension of universal adult male suffrage in 19th century Britain occurred alongside the development of industrial capitalism. Since democracy became widespread at the same time as capitalism, many theorists have been led to posit a causal relationship between them. In the 20th century, however, according to some authors, capitalism also accompanied a variety of political formations quite distinct from liberal democracies, including fascist regimes, absolute monarchies, and single-party states.

While some argue that capitalist development leads to the emergence of democracy, others dispute this claim. Some commentators argue that, although economic growth under capitalism has led to democratization in the past, it may not do so in the future. For example, authoritarian regimes have been able to manage economic growth without making concessions to greater political freedom. States that have highly capitalistic economic systems have thrived under authoritarian or oppressive political systems. Examples include:

• Singapore, which maintains a highly open market economy and attracts lots of foreign investment, does not protect civil liberties such as freedom of speech and expression.

• The private (capitalist) sector in the People's Republic of China has grown exponentially and thrived since its inception, despite having an authoritarian government.

• Augusto Pinochet's rule in Chile led to economic growth by using authoritarian means to create a safe environment for investment and capitalism.

Scatter graph of the People's Republic of China's GDP between years 1952 to 2005, based on publicly available nominal GDP data published by the People's Republic of China and compiled by Hitotsubashi University (Japan) and confirmed by economic indicator statistics from the World Bank.

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