1 / 26

Understanding Ideology in U.S. Government: Classical to Modern Perspectives

Explore the evolution of ideology from classical philosophical roots to 20th/21st-century American perspectives. Learn how ideology shapes political, economic, and social systems, influencing attitudes towards governmental action.

nabell
Download Presentation

Understanding Ideology in U.S. Government: Classical to Modern Perspectives

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. POLI 101: U.S. Government Dr. Kevin Lasher

  2. Understanding IDEOLOGY

  3. IDEOLOGY • Definitions • Classical/philosophical ideology • 20th/21st Century American ideology

  4. Ideology Makes Sense of Complexity

  5. Definition of Ideology • Ideology is a mental framework for thinking about governmental, economic and social systems • Ideology is a “political” mind-set

  6. Definition of Ideology • Ideology is a simplification or a short-cut • Good: Helps us to make sense of complicated political world • Bad: Leaves out certain details

  7. IDEOLOGY • Definitions • Classical/philosophical ideology • 20th/21st Century American ideology

  8. Classical Ideology • Thinking about political changes in Europe of 1600s and 1700s • Coming of capitalism/industrialization, individual rights and “democratization” • Break-down of elitist, precapitalist societies • Radicals and reactionaries came much later

  9. Classical Ideology CHANGE Radicals Liberalism Conservatism Reactionary Existing political, economic, social arrangements STATUSQUO

  10. CHANGE Classical Ideology: Conservatism Radicals Liberalism Conservatism Reactionary Conservatives want slow, limited change. They “like” the existing arrangements. STATUSQUO

  11. CHANGE Classical Ideology: Liberalism Radicals Liberalism Conservatism Reactionary Liberals want moderate, significant change. They “like” and “dislike” existing arrangements. STATUSQUO

  12. CHANGE Classical Ideology: Radicalism Radicals Liberalism Conservatism Reactionary Radicals want revolutionary change. They “hate” existing arrangements and want to “destroy” them. STATUSQUO

  13. Classical Ideology: Radicalism Radicals appear in 1800s (after capitalism)

  14. CHANGE Classical Ideology: Reactionary-ism Radicals Liberalism ConservatismReactionary Reactionaries want retrogressive change. They “dislike”existing arrangements and want to return to an earlier system. STATUSQUO

  15. Classical Ideology: Reactionary-ism Reactionaries appear in 1900s

  16. Classical Ideology Problems • Ideology is defined in relation to the “status quo.” • The “status quo” is a constantly changing phenomenon.

  17. 1960s Civil Rights Programs CHANGE Radicals Liberalism Conservatism Reactionary STATUSQUO

  18. 2000s Civil Rights Programs Radicals Liberalism Conservatism Reactionary STATUSQUO

  19. IDEOLOGY • Definitions • Classical/philosophical ideology • 20th/21st Century American ideology

  20. Classical Ideology

  21. Late 20th/Early 21st Century American Ideology • Not so concerned with “change” • More concerned with broad “attitudes” toward governmental action

  22. American Ideology: Themes • Attitude toward government regulation of U.S. economy • Attitude toward government regulation of personal issues

  23. Modern American Ideology: Themes • Attitude toward government regulation of U.S. economy • Attitude toward government regulation of personal issues

  24. Modern American Ideologies • Liberalism • Conservatism • Libertarianism • Populism

  25. Modern American Ideologies Government Intervention in Economy FOR AGAINST Government Intervention in Personal Matters AGAINST FOR LIBERALS LIBERTARIANS POPULISTS CONSERVATIVES Moderates

  26. To Be Continued

More Related