Lecture
Ideology is a system of views of a social or political subject, expressing its interests, goals, and attitude to reality. The term "ideology" was introduced by the French scientist and philosopher A.L. Lestute de Garcy at the beginning of the XIX century.
Political ideology is, as a rule, a systematic representation of a political subject (class, party, movement, etc.) about its place in the system of political relations, about power and ways of using it in its own interests. Ideology is connected with the interests of certain groups of the population, but scientists and professional politicians are engaged in its development.
There are three levels of functioning of political ideology :
1) conceptual and theoretical (theories and teachings);
2) program-political (programs, manifestos);
3) actualized views at the level of mass political consciousness.
Being a type of political consciousness, political ideology performs an important function in exercising power, rallying people and directing their political behavior.
The most influential ideologies of modernity include the following: conservatism, liberalism, social reformism and communism. In the second half of the XX century. religious, ethnic and ecological movements and the corresponding ideological and political doctrines became noticeably more active. ( Doctrine - the doctrine, the political system.)
Conservatism is an ideology that upheld the principles of traditionalism and continuity in social development, put forward as the basic requirements the preservation of moral order and natural-legal foundations underlying the family, religion, property, rejected the idea of a conscious, purposeful change in social relations . The term "conservatism" was introduced by F. Chateaubriand in 1830. E. Burke is considered to be the founder of the political ideology of conservatism . He was an English aristocrat, a statesman who spoke with sharp criticism of the Great French Revolution, of which he was an observer. The political ideas of E. Burke are set forth in his famous books: “Reflections on the causes of existing discontent” (1770) and “Reasonings on the Revolution in France” (1790). Conservatism is opposed not only to communism and social reformism, but also to liberalism, despite the existence of some common socio-political attitudes with it: recognition of private property as the basis of personal human freedom, demands of non-interference of the state in the economic sphere, expression of commitment to the rule of law, political pluralism and democracy.
At present, three areas can be distinguished in conservatism: traditionalism , libertarism, and neo-conservatism . The first, according to tradition, focuses on the superiority of the political order of the "old, good times" (the founders of E. Burke and de Mestr ). The second trend, libertarianism, is a preacher and defender of the idea of unlimited human freedom ( F. Hayek, J. Rome, R. Pozik ). The third area - neo-conservatism - took shape relatively recently, in the second half of the 1970s. It bears the imprint of rapprochement with liberalism ( D. Bell, Z. Brzezinski, N. Kristoll ).
The main principles and values of neoconservatism are as follows: limiting state intervention in the economy, but recognizing the need to strengthen its influence in the political sphere, especially in upholding the interests of the nation in the international arena and in maintaining law and order; attention to issues of morality, law and religion; resolute denial of the idea of state capitalism, the policy of socialization and nationalization; proclaiming a policy of curtailing social programs and narrowing social guarantees.
Despite a certain convergence of views, liberalism remains a serious opponent of conservatism in many countries.
Liberalism is an ideology that justifies the need to recognize the absolute sovereignty of a person in any sphere of his life activity, as a necessary condition for the normal development of society. J. Locke, A. Smith, D. Hume, I. Kant, S. Montesquieu, T. Jefferson and many other famous philosophers and politicians made notable contributions to the development of the ideas of liberalism.
The fundamental values of liberalism are: personal independence and voluntary cooperation; private property and market self-regulating economy; rule of law with a limited right to intervene in society; democracy and free competition of political forces and ideas .
In the late XIX - early XX centuries. under the influence of opposition to social reformism, classical liberalism was subjected to a revision, which led to the emergence of neoliberalism, or "social liberalism" , oriented towards limited social reformism and reconciliation of the ideas of equality and freedom. This trend gradually absorbs the ideas of protecting the socio-economic rights of citizens, defends rationalism, individualism and anti-statism. It was this circumstance that led to the development of a tendency towards rapprochement of the position of a part of liberals and conservatives and the emergence of neoconservatism.
Both conservatism and liberalism cannot but reckon with the existence of the ideology of social reformism, which enjoys a sufficiently large influence in European countries.
Reformism is the ideology of transforming society through its consistent reform. Social reformism substantiates the need to reform capitalism in the interests of the working people. It is precisely this ideology that social democracy adheres to. The theoretical substantiation of the political ideology of social democracy was given in the works of E. Bernstein (1850-1932), K. Kautsky (1854-1938) and R. Hilferding (1877-1941). The modern theoretical arsenal of social democracy relies on the ideas of Keynesianism. Social democracy defends the path of the reformist transformation of capitalist society and negatively treats revolutionary actions.
Fundamental values of social democracy: solidarity, equality, freedom, justice. They are considered equivalent and interdependent . The socio-economic program provides for the existence of a mixed economy, state regulation of the economy (with the help of economic levers and legislation), developed social legislation (aimed at implementing the principle of social justice), staff participation in production management (the neo-corporate model of labor and capital). Trying to adapt to new conditions, the social democratic theory and policy are transformed in the direction of abandoning extremes, from rigid installations on public property; set a course for distancing itself from the trade unions in order to drop the charge of supporting corporatism; projects are being developed for the qualitative transformation of social requirements and the concept of a social state.
The constant opponent of the social reformist policy and theory is the communist movement, which is based on a complex of ideas, called Stalin Marxism-Leninism, but all over the world is called communism.
Communism is an ideology whose essence is the criticism of capitalist relations from the standpoint of denial of private property, from the point of view of collectivism. The political ideas of the communist ideology are based on the boundless belief in the theory of progress, on the messianic interpretation of the role of the working class in society, on the utopian understanding of human nature, on the belief in the historical inevitability of a revolutionary replacement of capitalism by socialism.
Its main principles are: the destruction of private property and the transition to state, centralized planning, the priority of collective and state interests over the interests of the individual, the leading role of the working class and the Communist Party in society .
The collapse of the socialist system and the departure of the CPSU from the historical scene exacerbated the problem of modernizing the communist doctrine. In some countries, the communist parties ceased to exist (changed names or were dissolved), but where they remained, there is a tendency towards rapprochement with social democracy. At the same time, there are groups and parties that are conservative-minded, that is, claiming loyalty to the ideology of Marxism-Leninism.
The crisis of the communist movement and its ideologies is taking place against the background of the rapid growth of so-called alternative movements, which are developing their own versions of political ideology and culture.
The ideology of alternative movements .
The heterogeneous social composition determines the mosaic, eclectic character of the alternativeist ideology. It is characterized by a critical orientation in relation to many phenomena of modern society, reaching to the complete negation of the existing social system. The influence of anarchism , that is, the ideas of a stateless system of society, is also noticeable.
Alternative movement programs include a wide range of requirements: protection of nature, elimination of the threat of nuclear war, education of people in the spirit of new values, full employment and participation of workers in production management, termination of all forms of discrimination, etc.
The following movements play a significant role in the modern world: for a new lifestyle, ecological and anti-war . Youth, feminist and human rights speeches are gaining momentum.
Ideologically, the programs of environmental movements, especially "green" ones, are the most developed. This socio-political movement emerged in the late 70s - early 80s. The program provisions of the “green” parties include a wide range of requirements: the protection of nature and the human environment, the subordination of economic activities to the requirements of the ecological imperative, the elimination of large economic structures, measures to ensure full employment and participation of workers in management, democratization of the state, protection of peace, complete destruction weapons of mass destruction, etc.
The environmental movement began with attracting public attention to solving global problems of our time and total criticism of bourgeois society and its political institutions. Gradually, a reformist wing was formed, connected with the revision of individual bourgeois values, and not with the opposition to the system as a whole. But within the ecological movement there is also a current of environmental activists who adhere to the point of view that only a totalitarian state abolishing democratic freedoms can prevent chaos and ecological catastrophe.
The ideology of the anti-war movement unites a whole range of ideas justifying the need to fight against militarism, the military danger and the use of violence in solving political problems . In the 1920-30s. the first pacifist societies arose and their ideology began to spread rapidly. (Pacifism denies all wars, regardless of their nature and purpose, condemns any armed struggle that entails human casualties.) Currently, in the antiwar movement there is a tendency to grow into a movement for the survival of humanity, for a nuclear-free, non-violent world.
Alternative movements include the so-called "civil initiatives" - their most common, but the least organized form. The central moment of their activity is the struggle for the satisfaction of any specific requirements, as well as the development and implementation of social projects . Close to the "civil initiatives" of the organization of an alternative way of life, trying to change the life of society by creating communities and communes, alternative enterprises and organizations.
In general, alternative movements are characterized by the fact that their organizations are often more supportive than traditional parties, but their development is accompanied by recessions and booms of activity. They generate new forms of social life and organization, unite, unite people, form the basis for the unity of actions of various strata and groups of the population. It should be noted that the element of spontaneity inherent in new social movements can sometimes give rise to destructive actions, especially in the case of the strengthening of nationalist sentiments.
Ethnopolitical ideas and concepts.
The end of the twentieth century. marked by the phenomenon of the so-called "ethnic renaissance", the explosion of movements and performances on a national-ethnic basis, developing their own political concepts and programs. In this connection, serious problems arose not only in the territory of the former USSR, but also in many, seemingly prosperous, communities: in Canada, Spain, Belgium. Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia collapsed, inter-ethnic conflicts in India, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Iraq and some other countries do not subside. Since it is very difficult to distinguish between national interests and nationalist sentiments, it is very difficult to find ways to resolve inter-ethnic conflicts and conflicts.
The “Ethnic Renaissance” spawned many ethnopolitical concepts containing a number of common features:
The already motley conglomerate of ethnopolitical concepts is connected almost everywhere with other political ideologies. The modern history of Russia and other CIS countries gives many examples of combining the ideas of the sovereignty of the indigenous ethnic group with religious, liberal, socialist and even communist ideals. Quite often, as in other regions of the planet, the growth of national identity leads to negative consequences: the denial of universal values, the infringement of the interests of ethnic groups who did not have their territories of residence, indiscriminate means of achieving goals, reviving prejudices and traditions that complicate relations between people of different nationalities.
The world community is seriously concerned about the problem of translating interethnic and interethnic conflicts to the plane of a peaceful democratic solution, achieving a balance of interests of various ethnic groups.
Religious and political doctrines.
In the last quarter of the twentieth century. markedly increased the role of religious ideology in politics. In many countries, clericalism has revived - a political movement that makes extensive use of religion and the church in the struggle for power. Many religious denominations also do not stand apart from political life. On the ideological basis of some religions, sometimes several religious-political movements with opposing attitudes develop.
Catholicism. The head of the Catholic Church, the Pope, has a great influence on politics, but the main channel for the impact of Catholicism on political life in Europe is Christian-Democratic parties that have come closer to neoconservatism and embraced its values (Belgium, Italy, Poland, Germany). In Latin America, where 60% of all Catholics of the world live, a social-Christian trend is developed on the basis of the teachings of E. Mounier , which advocates a model of a personalistic, pluralistic communitarian society of "social participation." In this region, the doctrine of “liberation theology” , differing by radicalism, was born, based on a new interpretation of the Bible and some of the provisions borrowed from Marxism. She is trying to combine the idea of revolutionary liberation from economic and political dependence with the idea of freeing man from “biblical” sin . In the 1960s "Liberation theology" has become popular among the blacks of the United States in some African countries (Angola, South Africa).
Islam. In the Islamic world, the role of religion in politics is traditionally great. This is largely due to the popularity of the idea of a caliphate state, where there is a unity of political and religious power. It is conditionally possible to distinguish three currents within Islam: the orthodox , the modernist and the fundamentalist . Their role in the political life of society is different.
Orthodox Christians act from a conservative position, idealize traditional socio-political relations in society, are opposed to change.
Modernists seek to adapt religious ideas to the needs of liberal-democratic reforms.
The fundamentalists advocate the reorganization of society on the basis of the attitudes of early Islam and the concept of the caliphate. Moreover, some seek to revive the doctrines of Muhammad in full, while others selectively. In Central Asia, the influence of Wahhabism - a fundamentalist trend in Islam, advocating a return to the original Islam, the rejection of luxury, songs and dances, the use of wine and tobacco - is growing. Proponents of this trend are cruelly cracking down on apostates from the faith. Они создали организацию боевиков, которая носит название "Братья-мусульмане" и имеет свой центр в Саудовской Аравии.
Подводя итог рассмотрения политических идеологий и политических течений современности, следует подчеркнуть, что большинство из них являются динамичными образованиями, стремятся своевременно реагировать на изменение ситуации, на возникающие проблемы. Политические идеологии взаимодействуют, при этом то одна, то другая периодически либо усиливают, либо ослабляет свое влияние.
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Political science
Terms: Political science