1. POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES: An Introduction

2. The role of ideas Behaviourism and the ‘material basis’ of ideas. Ideology and political theory influence all action. Political theory and political practice are inseparably linked. The function of ideology: ⁻to provide a perspective in understanding the world ⁻to shape political systems ⁻to act as a social cement between groups

3. Views of ideology The study of ideology vs. the study of ideologies What is ideology? “Ideology is the most elusive concept in the whole of the social sciences”- David McLellan ⁻A political belief system ⁻Political ideas that embody or articulate class or social interests ⁻An abstract and highly systematic set of political ideas

4. Marxist views of ideology Marx ideology vs. science ideology and the class system ideology and power ideology as temporary Post-Marx The endurance of capitalism Lenin and a socialist ‘ideology’ Gramsci and capitalist hegemony Marcuse and consumerism in advanced industrial societies

5. Liberals Conservatives Socialists Fascists Ecologists Religious Fundamentalists Non Marxist views of ideology

6. An ideology is a more or less coherent set of ideas of that provides the basis for organized political action, whether this is intended to preserve, modify or overthrow the existing system of power. All ideologies therefore have the following features. They: (a) offer an account of the existing order, usually in the form of a ‘world view’ (b) advance a model of a desired future, a vision of a good ‘society’ (c) explain how political change can and should be brought about – how to get from (a) to (b) Heywood’s definition of ideology

7. The transition from feudalism to industrial 1917 Russian Revolution, the ‘short’ twentieth century and ideological warfare The twentieth century: the emergence of ‘new’ ideologies Post-industrialization and prosperity The ideological ramifications of the collapse of communism Global interconnectedness and cosmopolitan sensibilities The evolution of ideology