Self-Learning Module

in

PHILIPPINE POLITICS
AND GOVERNANCE

MODULE 2
POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES

1|Page
 Lesson 1: Identify the basic tenets of major political ideologies and
differentiate political ideologies
A. Objectives

In this module we explore different political ideas and the impact of

particular political perspectives or ideologies on political behavior. Let’s
find out how political ideologies shape political behavior in particular
directions.
At the end of the lesson you should be able to:
1. identify the basic tenets of major political ideologies (i.e.,
liberalism, socialism, conservatism, etc.) HUMSS_PG12-Ib-c-6
2. differentiate the political ideologies HUMSS_PG12-Ib-c-7
3. examine the relationship between political ideologies and
configurations of political communities HUMSS_PG12-Ib-c-8
4. analyze how political ideologies impact on the social and political
life of Filipino HUMSS_PG12-Ib-c-10

B. Pretest
Directions: Read the statements carefully and choose the letter of the
correct answer.
1. It is a set of related ideas or systematic group of concepts and beliefs
about culture, society and human life.
A. ideology B. liberalism C. conservatism D. socialism
2. It is an ideology that stands in opposition to capitalism and proposes an
alternative which is more humane and equitable.
A. liberalism B. socialism C. conservatism D. anarchism
3. A political ideology that gives importance to the fulfillment of the
individual through the satisfaction of his interests.
A. conservatism B. Marxism C. liberalism D. socialism
4. It is an ideology that desire to preserve institutions and is reflected in a
resistance to, or at least suspicion, of, change.
A. socialism B. conservatism C. communism D. fascism

2|Page
5. Peter believes that people will form groups and live peacefully naturally.
He thinks that the government comes in and corrupts our human nature, and
therefore should not exist.
A. Conservatism B. Anarchism C. Socialism D. Fascism
6. Avery believes strongly that one day, the working class (proletariat) will
rise against the wealthy/ruling class (bourgeoisie) and seize the means of
production.
A. Nationalism B. Anarchism C. Marxism D. Socialism
7. It is a political ideology which adheres to the maxim of strength through
unity and desires an organically unified national community.
A. Fascism B. feminism C. socialism D. communism
8. It is an idea that desire to enhance the social role of women and the
structure of male power must be overturned.
A. communism B. conservatism C. feminism D. Marxism
9. A political ideology that is based on common ownership. It aims to
establish society that is classless, egalitarian, and stateless.
A. communism B. liberalism C. conservatism D. fascism
10. It is a more or less coherent set of ideas that provides a basis for
organized political action. An ideology that pertains to the conduct of
government.
A. ideology B. political ideology C. Marxism D. Liberalism

Activity 1: “Kwentong-Bahay”
Directions: Read and understand the questions carefully. You may answer
the question based on how did you find your home being regulated by your
parents or anyone as head of the family. Write your answers in the activity
notebook.
Processing Questions:
1. How do your parents manage your household?

2. What are the things you wish to change the way your household is
managed?

3|Page
From the activity above, you were able to determine the important factor on
how people make decisions. In order to make good decisions, you have to
have an open mind to all of the potential solutions for the issue under
consideration. Here are the following topics that you need to contemplate
for you to have a better understanding of the significance of political
ideologies

C. Lesson Proper

What is an ideology?
The term was conceived in 1796 by French Philosopher Destutt de
Tracy which he called “science of ideas” ideologie.
Today, ideology could mean different things to different people. It
simply put as a set of related ideas or systematic group of concepts and
beliefs about culture, society, and human life.
Appropriately, an ideology that pertains to the conduct of government
is called a political ideology. A more or less coherent set of ideas that
provides a basis for organized political action, whether the ideas are
intended to preserve, modify, or overthrow the existing power structure (
Ramos, 2016).

POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES:
Liberalism – it is a political ideology that gives importance to the
fulfillment of the individual through the satisfaction of his interests.
Liberals believe that individuals are born equal and should have equal
opportunities to realize their goals and therefore, be allowed the greatest
latitude of freedom.
Conservatism – is defined by the desire to preserve institutions and is
reflected in a resistance to, or at least suspicion of, change. For the
conservatives, tradition reflects the accumulated wisdom of the past, as
manifested in the practices that have endured the test of time.
Socialism – is an ideology that stands in opposition to capitalism and
proposes an alternative which is more humane and equitable. The goal of
4|Page
socialism is to minimize or abolish class division between the rich and the
poor. Socialists view human beings as social creatures bound by common
humanity, cooperation is preferred, collectivism is favored over
individualism, and characterize therefore with equality.
Communism – may be described as a socio-economic structure which
aims to establish a society that is classless, egalitarian, and stateless. A
political ideology based on common ownership. Under communism, there
is no such thing as private property. All property is communally owned, and
each person receives a portion based on what they need.
Marxism - An idea that the exploitation of the workers (proletariat) by
the capitalists (bourgeoisie) develop class consciousness among the workers
hence conducting a proletarian revolution which will facilitate the birth of
a communist society.
Fascism – is a political ideology which adheres to the maxim of
strength through unity and desires an organically unified national
community. The community or social group absorbs individual identity.
The individual is literally nothing. It is anti-rational, anti-liberal, anti-
conservative, anti-capitalist, anti-communist, etc., and believe exactly the
opposite.
Anarchism – is an ideology that is based on the belief that government
and laws are not necessary. Political authority in whatever form is
undesirable and unwanted. The state is evil because it exercises coercive
authority, which violates the freedom and equality of individuals.
Anarchists prefer a stateless society.
Feminism - the belief in social, economic, and political equality of the
sexes. It desires to enhance the social role of women and the structure of
male power must be overturned.
Key Points
• The term “ideology” was conceived in 1796 by the French philosopher
Destutt de Tracy to refer to a new science that endeavored to uncover the
origins of conscious thought and ideas.
• Political Ideology pertains to a coherent set of ideas that provides a basis
for organized political action.

5|Page
• Political ideologies are both descriptive and prescriptive, they provide
lenses for positive and normative analysis of socio-political conditions.
• Among the different political ideologies are liberalism, conservatism,
socialism, communism, Marxism, fascism, anarchism, and feminism.
•
Activity 2: Bahay Prinsipyo
Direction: In connection with your answers in activity 1, you may address
the following questions:
1. Compare the ideologies of your mother and father.

2. Provided with such experience from your parents, who between

them are you in favor? Why?

Lesson 2: Examine the relationship between political ideologies and

analyze how political ideologies impact on the social and political life
of Filipino

A. Lesson Proper
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POLITICAL IDEOLOGY AND
POLITICAL COMMUNITY
The political ideology of a state inevitably shapes the configuration of
the political community. This occurs because the form of government
reflects the ideals advocated by the political ideology. In other words, a state
would certainly not have institutions which do not adhere to its beliefs. It
would be incongruous for a democratic nation advocating liberal ideas to
have an authoritarian government or a dictatorship. Conversely, it would be
preposterous for a communist nation to have a multi-party system where
there are free elections and the officials of government are elected by
popular vote.
It does not mean, however, that a political ideology is necessarily
immutable. It has to adopt to the necessities of the times. An ideology
should be malleable to survive and prevail. After all, it is just a set of
coherent ideas that serve as the blueprint for political action. For example,
6|Page
China has astutely retained its one-party system while at the same time
adopting some features of capitalism. This bold step has transformed the
country into an economic powerhouse: it is now one of the leaders on the
world stage (Ramos, 2016).
We need to give more emphasis that political theory and political
practice are totally entangled. Political ideas did not come out of nowhere.
They are shaped and continuously reshaped by current socio-historical,
economic, and political circumstances. Whether you are conscious or not,
your behavior is guided by a set of ideas, beliefs, or value systems you
adhere to. At a more general level and at a definitely larger scale, political
ideas shape the nature of political systems and serve as glue that binds
societies together.
HOW POLITICAL IDEOLOGY AFFECTS THE LIFE OF THE
FILIPINO
The ideologies espoused by the succession of Philippine presidents
have had varying effects on the social and political lives of the Filipinos.
After the country regained its independence in 1945, however, the same
rigid structures resurfaced: the elite reasserted their dominance of the
economy and politics.
The early years after the Second World War saw a largely destroyed
local economy dependent on American aid and Japanese reparations.
Philippine Presidents then were rabidly pro-American and so were many
Filipinos. The political ideology was adhered to the American model and
we were able to maintain the presidential form of government. Under the
re-emergent democratic system, the patrimonial character of the
government remained. Many things depended on personal considerations
and connections, even with the growth of bureaucracy.
The election of Ferdinand Marcos as the President (1965-1985)
launched a new ideology that advocated a “revolution” from the center,”
meaning the radical change would come from the top of the political
leadership. He crafted the “New Society” and he experimented with a mixed
presidential and parliamentary system. There was a president (Marcos)
elected by a popular vote, and there was a prime minister elected by the
parliament.

7|Page
 Corazon Aquino, who replaced Marcos after he was deposed, returned
the country to the path of liberal democracy. She acted as the legislator
when the Freedom Constitution was in effect. It was the time when the
political institutions of the country was being rebuilt.
The re-democratization brought many problems. On the political level,
there is a highly politicized military, the persistence of elite-dominated,
patronage-based political party system, and rival claims for autonomy in the
South. On the economic level, poverty and unemployment persist. There is
the foreign debt burden and inflation to contend with. On the social level,
unequal social structures remain.

B. Activity 1: Jumbled Letters

Directions: Rearrange the jumbled letters below guided by a definition to

help you identify the correct word. Write each letter in the blank space
provided.
1. MMUOCNMSI - a political ideology based on common ownership. _ _
_______
2. LIERLAIMSB - an ideology that gives importance to the fulfillment of
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the individual.
3. FMEMINIS - a political ideology that desire to enhance the social _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ role of women.
4. CFSMSIA - an ideology which adheres to the maxim strength _ _
_ _ _ _ _ through unity and desires an organically unified national
community.
5. LCISOAISM - an ideology that desires to preserve institutions and _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ is reflected in a resistance to, or at least suspicion of, change.

C. Activity 2: Describe the Picture

Directions: List down your observation about the picture provided below.
Write your descriptions in your activity notebook.

8|Page
https://www.google.com/search?q=edsa+people+power&bih=657&biw1366&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&
sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjx 0ueNmdPqAhUnx4sBHU3pDdUQ_AUoAXoECBkQAw#imgrc=5F1jkW08_A8X_M

Important Points for you to remember

The political ideology of a state inevitably shapes the configuration of the
political community because the form of government reflects the ideals
advocated by the political ideology.
The ideologies espoused by the succession of Philippine presidents have
had varying effects on the social and political lives of Filipinos.

D. Assessment (Post-test)
Essay: Choose one political group in the country and discuss how their
ideology influences their actions or advocacies. Write your answers in not
less than 150 words in your activity notebook.

E. REFERENCES: Ramos, Renan E.Philippine Politics and

Governance.Vibal Group, Inc.201

9|Page