Republic of the Philippines

(formerly NAVAL STATE UNIVERSITY)

Laboratory High School

PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

Lesson 3: Political Ideologies
(The basic tenets of the major political ideologies (i.e., liberalism, socialism, conservatism, etc.)

Learning Competency: The Learners identify the basic tenets of major political ideologies (i.e., liberalism, socialism,
conservatism, etc. and differentiate the political ideologies) (HUMSS_PG12-Ib-c-6-7)

This lesson delves into the study of political ideologies which involves the nature, role, and significance of political ideas
in understanding the various political phenomenon. In every dealing of humanity, people express their opinions and/or
speak their mind with the use of political ideas and concepts such as freedom, fairness, justice, equality and rights that
they are able to interpret their individual views as liberal, conservative, socialist, communist, fascist, feminist and etc.

Political Ideology
Antione Destutt de Tracy (1754 – 1836) coined the term Ideology during the French Revolution and subsequently used in
public in 1796. Idéologie according to Tracy is a new ‘science of ideas’ from a literal term idea-logy (Heywood, 2012).
Ideology becomes a political weapon to condemn or criticize opposing arrays of ideas or belief system.

Definition of Political Ideology

1. First thing to be clear on is that there really is no clear and agreed upon definition of ideology. It is a difficult
term to really define properly.
2. Some attempted definitions of ‘ideology’ 1
• A political belief system
• An action-orientated set of political ideas
• The ideas of the ruling class
• The world view of a particular social class or social group
• Political ideas that embody or articulate class or social interests
• Ideas that propagate false consciousness amongst the exploited or oppressed
3. Some attempted definitions of ‘ideology’ 2
• Ideas that situate the individual within a social context and generate a sense of collective belonging
• An officially sanctioned set of ideas used to legitimize a political system or regime
• An all-embracing political doctrine that claims a monopoly of truth
• An abstract and highly systematic set of political ideas
4. The definition we will use in our class:
An ideology is a more or less coherent set of ideas that provides the basis for organized political action, whether
this is intended to preserve, modify or overthrow the existing system of power.
5. All ideologies therefore have the following features:
a) They offer an account of the existing order, usually in the form of a ‘world view’
b) They advance a model of a desired future, a vision of the ‘good society’
c) They explain how political change can and should be brought about – how to get from (a) to (b) Heywood, A
(2007). Political Ideologies – An Introduction. Palgrave Macmillan: New York.
6. Four key functions:
a. Explanatory (How the world Works [Empirical])
b. Evaluative (Deciding whether things are good or bad [Normative])
c. Orientation (Supplies the holder with a sense of identity)
d. Programmatic (What to do and how to do it)

Characteristics of Ideology
1. Ideologies have their levels end in –ism.
2. Ideologies provide an explanation for problems that confronts modern societies by providing futuristic vision.
3. Ideology is action-oriented.
4. Ideologies mobilize a large number of people.

Functions of Ideologies
1. Ideology addresses a basic human psychological needs such as safety, freedom, and community.

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 2. Ideology provides its believers with a sense of understanding history and with clues about what kinds of things
they should pay attention to or ignore.
3. Ideology is essential.
4. Ideology is powerful.
POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES
1. Liberalism (The Left)
- Liberalism derived from the Latin word “liber” which means “free men” in short, men who were neither serfs nor
slaves.
- Liberalism emphasizes the importance of the individual, both the uniqueness of each individual and at the same
time the equality of all individuals.
- Thus, liberalism emphasizes a commitment to individual freedom. This does not mean though, that an individual
is free to do whatever they like. There are still constraints on what you are actually allowed to do, one constraint
being that you are not allowed to hurt another individual.
- Liberals look at justice in that each person should be given what they are “due”.
- Because individual rights are central, this means that liberalism believes in tolerance and pluralism, or the idea
that different moral, cultural and political cultures can exist together.
- Explanatory: Social conditions are the result of individual choices and actions.
- Evaluative: Societies work best when individuals are free to do as they wish without harming or violating rights
of others.
- Orientation: Rational, self-interested individuals (and hence equal).
- Programmatic: Programs for promoting individual liberty (classical) and opportunity (welfare).

2. Conservatism (The Right)

- The term “conservatism” derived from the term conservation. It is a political philosophy that tends to support
the status quo and advocates change only in moderation upholding the value of tradition and seeks to preserve
all that is good about the past (Dooley, 2013).
- A point of view that emphasizes tradition and established institutions and give greater attention to social entities
than to individuals having the inclination to oppose any change in political environment.
- Central beliefs of conservatism are based around the ideas of:
• tradition
• human imperfection
• organic society
• hierarchy and authority
• property
- Conservatives argue for the preservation of “tradition”, in particular with regards to values, practices and
institutions.
- They see tradition as being one of the foundations of society; without it, they believe society would crumble.
- Conservatives argue that human beings are imperfect and not perfectible, thus they will need stability and
security in their lives, which the government can provide.
- Conservatives believe that human beings cannot exist outside of society, or the social groups that nurture
him/her, such as family, friends, colleagues, local community, and the nation.
- Conservatives have a firm belief in the importance of owning property, and encourage private savings and
investment in property; property is seen to be a way of creating a stable world.
- People are less likely to damage someone else’s property if they also own property.
- Explanatory: Social conditions are the result of human imperfections (intellectual and moral) - Evaluative:
Success is a question of social order and harmony.
- Orientation: Each of us is part of a greater whole, and we should act with interest of society (not just self) in
mind. - Programmatic: Slow and cautious change

3. Socialism
- The term socialism derived from the word ‘socialist’ in Latin social meaning to combine or to share.
- As Schrems (2011) puts it, socialism is an economic and political doctrine advocating governmental ownership
and direction of production and services but which would retain existing institutions as the means of regulating
them.
- It is also viewed as an ideology which opposed capitalism and tries to provide a more humane and socially
valuable substitute. Moreover, cooperation is preferred over the competition.

- Furthermore, socialism adheres to social equality which is the main way to attain social stability and cohesion.
- Human beings are tied to one another by the bonds of a common humanity - “We are all brothers and
sisters” - Socialists are committed to equality.

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 - Disagree with the idea of private property, as they see this as one of the causes of competition and therefore
social inequality.
- Thus, have a view that all property should be communal.
- “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need” – Karl Marx
- Explanatory: Social conditions can only be understood by reference to economic and class relations.
- Evaluative: Sharpness of economic divisions determines health of society.
- Orientation: People should think of themselves in terms of their economic (class) position.
- Programmatic: Policies must be put into place to advance economic (which is a prerequisite for ‘true’ political
equality).

4. Capitalism
- Is an economic system that is focused on profit, and the major part of production is privately owned - Goods
and services are created in order to generate profit.
- The ‘Market’ is seen to be the defining mechanism in ordering society. In this sense, “the market” refers to the
procedure of selling and buying goods in general (and anywhere), not necessarily a physical market like Preston
Market! The market procedure is a way where people bring their goods to sell to consumers, and it is thought
that through trade society’s order is maintained.
- Explanatory: Social conditions determined by economic and class relations. - Evaluative: Sharpness of class
divisions determines ‘stage of development’.
- Orientation: People should think of themselves in terms of their class position.
- Programmatic: Policies must be put into place to advance movement toward communist revolution and
‘classless
society’

5. Anarchism
- Anarchists oppose the state and advocate for the abolition of its accompanying institutions of government and
law believing that a more natural and spontaneous social order will develop (such as terrorism).
- For them, the state is evil and oppressive in its own right and therefore should be overthrown.
- Not only is the state abolished but all other forms of political authority and the conventional processes of
government and machinery of the state including electoral politics.
- The sovereign, compulsory and coercive authority of the state is seen as a nothing less than legalized oppression
operating in the interests of the powerful, propertied, and privileged.
- As the state is inherently evil and oppressive, all states have the same essential character.

6. Fascism
- Fascism is derived from fasces, an Italian word, which means a bundle of rods with an axe-blade protruding that
signified the authority of magistrates in Imperial Rome. (Heywood, 2011)
- In the 1890s, an Italian word fascia was used which refers to a political group or band not until Benito Mussolini
employed the term fascism to describe the armed paramilitary squads he formed during and after World War I.
- Fascism is a movement that stands for outmoded, repressive social and political conditions rejecting democracy,
repudiates constitutionalism and stresses that all values arise from the state against which the individual has no
rights.
- Moreover, authentic freedom is in subjugation to an authoritarian, totalitarian, and omnipotent state thus,
rejecting equality and replaces the principle of hierarchy to a supreme leader whose will is law (Moten and
Islam, 2011).
- Fascism has a strong anti-rational, anti-liberal, anti-conservative, anti-capitalism, anti-bourgeois, anti-communist
and so on.
- Salient features of Fascism: o Totalitarianism o Nationalism o Anti-Liberalism o Militarism and Violence

7. Feminism
- Feminism is, derived from a Latin word Femina meaning women or female, concerned with the attainment of
gender equality in the political, economic, and social spheres of life.
- Its primary focus is the position of women in the society.
- The basic idea of feminism is that women experience a poor state in society as a consequence of the patriarchy,
male domination of women, which has historically characterized all social relationships and that this
disadvantage can and should be overthrown. (Heywood, 2012).
- Feminists contend that patriarchy continues to be manifested in the systematic deprivation of individual choices,
political power, economic opportunities, and intellectual recognition currently experienced by women.

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Are you Liberal or Conservative or somewhere in between? Take the quiz below:
http://www.people-press.org/quiz/political-typology/.

Reference:
Tabajen, Rhene C., et. al. (2016), Philippine Politics and Governance, JFS Publishing Services, Pasay City, pp 5-6
https://tamayaosbc.wordpress.com/2014/08/21/what-is-governance/
http://www.bedes.org/senior-school/news-and-blogs/senior-school-news/2015/01/5-reasons-to-study-politics.aspx

Prepared by:

MARK CHRISTIAN ROBLE ALMAZAN, LPT.

Subject Teacher, Philippine Politics and Governance Biliran
Province State University – Laboratory High School
[email protected]
0906 – 057 – 4068

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