Thursday, September 5, 2002
Susan V. Thompson, ed.
Read online or subscribe at:
http://peace.moveon.org/bulletin.php3
CONTENTS
- Introduction: A Tool Kit for Discussion
- One Link: A Glossary of Terms
- Right vs. Left
- Liberalism vs. Conservatism
- Anarchism
- Marxism, Socialism, and Communism
- Libertarianism
- Fascism
- Other Resources
- Credits
- Get Involved
- About the Bulletin
INTRODUCTION: A TOOL KIT FOR DISCUSSION
Terms like right and left, liberal and conservative, socialist,
communist, anarchist, etc. are used frequently in political
discussions. But people frequently misunderstand or confuse the
actual political ideologies that these terms refer to. We don't
all have degrees in political science, and such terms are often
loaded with assumptions that more accurately reflect the political
leanings of the person using them than the ideologies themselves.
In an effort to clear up some of these misunderstandings, we are
offering an online guide to political ideologies. This bulletin is
meant to be an introduction to the most commonly mentioned
political ideologies, including their definitions, frequently
asked questions about them, criticisms of them, and their general
positions on war with a look at the war on terrorism in particular
(where possible). We try to treat all ideologies fairly, despite
our own leanings. Ultimately, we hope that it will help you to
approach others with more knowledge and understanding.
Note: Of course, we also recommend that you don't end your
research about the various ideologies here. There is a wealth of
information out there which examines these ideologies in far more
depth and detail.
ONE LINK: A GLOSSARY OF TERMS
This excellent glossary of political and economic terms provides
information on everything from anarchism to capitalism to "pork
barrel" to "welfare state" in an easy-to-use and understandable
format. If you have a question about a political term, chances are
you can look it up here. Definitions from this glossary are used
in several places throughout the rest of the bulletin.
http://www.duc.auburn.edu/~johnspm/glossind.html
RIGHT VS. LEFT
The traditional political spectrum places people on a line
somewhere between "left" and "right." These terms originated with
the seating arrangements of the French Assembly in the 1790s,
where the monarchists sat on the right, and the republicans on the
left. In current usage, especially in the US, left is generally
associated with liberalism and right with conservatism.
This page on teaching the political spectrum includes a diagram of
the traditional political spectrum, and includes summaries of
liberal and conservative viewpoints.
http://www.lahapkido.com/teach.html
Left-wing or leftist are:
"General descriptive terms for any of several otherwise quite
varied political ideologies (socialism, communism, social
democracy, welfare statism, contemporary American liberalism, some
versions of anarchism,, etc.) that join in denouncing the extent
of economic and social inequality in the present order of society
and advocate the adoption of vigorous public policies to reduce or
eliminate these inequalities"
http://www.auburn.edu/~johnspm/gloss/left-wing.html
Right-wing or rightist is:
"A general descriptive term for any of several otherwise rather
different, conservative, reactionary or fascist political
ideologies, the common denominator of which is their qualified or
enthusiastic support for the main features of the current social
and economic order, accepting all (or nearly all) of its
inequalities of wealth, status and privilege (or even in some
cases support for a return to an earlier, even more inegalitarian
and hierarchical political-economic order.)"
http://www.auburn.edu/~johnspm/gloss/right-wing.html
This page lists some of the differences between the left and right
in the US, as taken from the Left Guide and the Right Guide, which
drew conclusions about the general characteristics after
performing a survey of organizations.
http://nj.npri.org/nj98/03/left_right.htm
If you aren't sure what your political ideology is, you can take
the World's Smallest Political Quiz, which places you on a
diamond-shaped political spectrum (rather than the standard
left/right straight line). Bear in mind that it is a libertarian
quiz. Still, it's a good tool for helping you to determine roughly
where you fit.
http://www.self-gov.org/wspq.html
LIBERALISM VS. CONSERVATISM
Liberalism
The term liberalism has a different meaning in Europe than in the
US. In Europe, liberalism refers to a 19th century political
ideology which is partially concerned with removing inhibitions on
the capitalist economy, while in the US it has come to mean an
ideology that advocates a stronger regulatory role for government,
while still advocating civil liberties and progressive values.
http://www.auburn.edu/~johnspm/gloss/liberalism.html
According to this European definition of liberalism:
"The word liberal is derived from the Latin liber, free, and up to
the end of the eighteenth century signified only 'worthy of a free
man', so that people spoke of 'liberal arts', 'liberal
occupations'. Later the term was applied also to those qualities
of intellect and of character, which were considered an ornament
becoming those who occupied a higher social position on account of
their wealth and education. Thus liberal got the meaning of
intellectually independent, broad-minded, magnanimous, frank,
open, and genial. Again Liberalism may also mean a political
system or tendency opposed to centralization and absolutism."
The definition of liberalism is followed by short descriptions of
several different kinds of liberalism.
http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/dissent/defnlibr.htm
This liberalism FAQ provides a clearer and more concise definition
of liberalism as it is generally meant today (and in the US), and
answers questions about the differences between liberalism and
socialism and what liberals believe. The liberal view of war,
according to this FAQ, is as follows:
"Some liberals model their beliefs after Mahatma Gandhi, in that
they are absolute pacifists, renouncing violence for any reason.
However, most liberals see a legitimate need for self-defense,
even on a national level with armed forces. The fight against
Hitler is a commonly cited example. But liberals are united in
their view that offensive military operations are wrong."
http://peace.moveon.org/r2.php3?r=122
This is a list of some US-based liberal organizations.
http://peace.moveon.org/r2.php3?r=123
Conservatism
Conservatism is generally used to mean:
"A general preference for the existing order of society and an
opposition to all efforts to bring about rapid or fundamental
change in that order. Conservative ideologies characteristically
strive to show that existing economic and political inequalities
are well justified and that the existing order is about as close
as is practically attainable to an ideal order. Conservative
ideologies most often base their claims on the teachings of
religion and traditional morality and tend to downplay the
reliability of purely rational or deductive social theories
propounded by secular philosophers, economists, and other social
thinkers."
http://www.auburn.edu/~johnspm/gloss/conservatism.html
According to this FAQ on conservatism (by a conservative),
conservatism is largely about allowing tradition to mediate
individual thought.
http://www.counterrevolution.net/consfaq.html
ConservativeTruth.org bills itself as dedicated to offering you
the news that the "liberal slant" in the major media censors.
According to their site, most Americans are conservative, since:
"Most Americans believe that patriotism is a good thing; that
government should be kept out of religion, but that our Founding
Fathers never intended to keep religion out of public life; that
murder of an unborn child is wrong; that homosexuals should not be
given special privileges; and that our children should not be
taught revisionist history which makes them ashamed to be
Americans."
http://www.conservativetruth.org/about.shtml
In this article which is critical of the hawkish tendencies of
conservatives, the author states that, "We've been told for years
that to be a 'true' conservative, one must desire a huge military
and have a love for internationalism (imperialism)."
http://www.lewrockwell.com/barnwell/barnwell13.html
President Bush calls his approach to politics "compassionate
conservatism."
http://peace.moveon.org/r2.php3?r=124
In this compelling essay, the author examines the relationship
between the war on terrorism and compassionate conservatism as it
is defined by President Bush.
"Bush and his speechwriters are using the language of
'compassionate conservatism' to tie together all the pillars of
their war rhetoric: national unity, firm resolve to pass the test,
and obedience to God’s will, insuring continuing divine guidance.
However, they are also using the language of war to rescue
'compassionate conservatism.' They turn the genuine compassion of
so many Americans into evidence of a 19th century-style moral
reform...this is a vision to warm a conservative’s heart. For
conservatives, the victory comes not in eradicating sin, but in
fighting it forever. As long as sin threatens and the whole nation
is mobilized to do battle against it, conservative values and
policies will prosper.
http://peace.moveon.org/r2.php3?r=125
This conservative columnist argues that the US must attack Iraq:
"International law runs counter to our need to take pre-emptive
action against terror. But our leaders swear to uphold the
Constitution, not the United Nations charter or the World Court’s
laws. In this war, we cannot simultaneously protect our people and
our Constitution and also follow international law. Such a
decision should be easy for our leaders. The pursuit of a policy
of first-strike is not the kind of decision that politicians
generally like to make. But the failure to do so in this war will
mean many more American deaths - thousands more."
http://peace.moveon.org/r2.php3?r=126
A list of conservative organizations.
http://peace.moveon.org/r2.php3?r=127
A list of US conservative political organizations.
http://peace.moveon.org/r2.php3?r=128
ANARCHISM
Anarchism is "an ideology that regards abolition of government as
the necessary precondition for a free and just society. The term
itself comes from the Greek words meaning 'without a ruler.'
Anarchism rejects all forms of hierarchical authority, social and
economic as well as political." The definition of anarchism
provided on this page is followed by information on anarchist
thought and anarchism in practice.
http://peace.moveon.org/r2.php3?r=129
Anarchism FAQ.
http://www.infoshop.org/faq/index.html
There are several methods of decision-making that anarchists may
employ, which include direct democracy, federations and networks,
consensus, affinity groups, and collectives. This page provides
links to summaries of all of these forms of decision-making after
a brief introduction on anarchism's goal of putting principles of
non-authoritarianism into practice.
http://www.radio4all.org/aia/descisionmaking.html
The author of this pamphlet asserts that the mass mobilization of
citizens in a war often empowers them to begin making their own
decisions, and thus can be dangerous for states. He urges
anarchists to build on the popular resistance to the war with the
long-term goal of abolishing the state.
http://peace.moveon.org/r2.php3?r=130
This anarchist analysis of the war in Afghanistan frames it as the
result of decades of war between states; thus imperialism and the
competition between states is the biggest threat to peace.
http://struggle.ws/issues/war/afghan/pamwt/wt2/afghan.html
Anarchists are often labeled as terrorists. This pamphlet attempts
to disprove this notion while admitting that some anarchists
employ violence:
"Anarchists have been labelled as terrorists for many years,
despite the fact that anarchists don't engage in the type of
political violence that is typical of most terrorism. For one
thing, many anarchists adhere to the philosophy of nonviolence.
Other anarchists engage in violence, but it is usually directed at
a specific political target, such as a police officer."
http://www.infoshop.org/terrorism.html
A common critique of anarchism is that it is a
Eurocentric/white/male/middle-class political ideology. As such it
may exclude people of color, women, and other groups. The article
linked here is a feminist critique which acknowledges the
attraction of anarchism for feminists, since it acknowledges that
all authoritarian structures, both economic and otherwise, are the
source of oppression. However, she also highlights the slow
acceptance of the idea of the oppression of women by many
anarchists: "Equal recognition of different oppressions avoids
socialism's premise that capitalist class relations are the
ultimate form of oppression through which all other oppressive
forces are filtered. It is impossible to understand, and therefore
change, the complexities of women's oppression (or racial,
homosexual oppression) if class and capitalism are ultimately seen
as the origins of injustice. A feminist relationship to anarchism
would mean exploring authoritarian structures as fundamental to
women's oppression and an anarchist relationship to feminism would
mean recognising that patriarchy is a paradigmatic example of
authoritarian structures."
http://www.cat.org.au/vof/versions/guest.htm
Anarchist International is a global anarchist organization.
http://www.anarchy.no/anarchy/ifadok.html
Anarchism is perhaps the polar opposite of totalitarianism, which
involves ultimate government control. Both fascist and communist
regimes can be called "totalitarian" regimes, since they can have
the following characteristics:
"Domination by a single, like-minded governing elite of all (or
virtually all) organized political, economic, social and cultural
activities in a country by means of a single-party monopoly of
power, police repression not only of all forms of dissent and
opposition but also of all forms of independent private
organizations as such, rigorous censorship of the mass media,
centralized state planning and administration of the economy, and
pervasive propaganda to inculcate the principles of the obligatory
official ideology."
http://www.auburn.edu/~johnspm/gloss/totalitarianism.html
MARXISM, SOCIALISM AND COMMUNISM
Marxism, socialism, and communism are often misunderstood, in
large part because they are used as synonyms for one another quite
frequently. They are in fact all closely related, but socialism
and communism are not necessarily the same thing. Marx wrote the
seminal works of theory which described the strengths and
weaknesses of the capitalist economic system, and argued that it
would eventually be overthrown in order to bring about a more just
and equal society. This would mean first implementing a socialist
system, followed by a true communist system. According to Marx,
all injustices and inequalities in the world can be traced to the
class struggle, or the inequalities inherent to the capitalist
system. Those people who believe in Marx's ideas and work to
implement them call themselves Marxists, and may be socialists or
communists.
Marx's life and work are described briefly in this biography.
http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96may/marx.html
Communism is "[a]ny ideology based on the communal ownership of
all property and a classless social structure, with economic
production and distribution to be directed and regulated by means
of an authoritative economic plan that supposedly embodies the
interests of the community as a whole."
http://www.auburn.edu/~johnspm/gloss/communism.html
Socialism is a political and economic theory of social
organization based on collective or governmental ownership and
democratic management of the essential means of the production and
distribution of goods. It can often be difficult to define, since
different people have different ideas about what a socialist
society would look like. There are a number of similarities
between socialism and communism, but they are not the same thing.
"Socialism and communism are alike in that both are systems of
production for use based on public ownership of the means of
production and centralized planning. Socialism grows directly out
of capitalism; it is the first form of the new society. Communism
is a further development or 'higher stage' of socialism." Thus,
not everyone who is a socialist is also a true Marxist/communist,
although every Marxist/communist is a socialist.
http://www.marxmail.org/faq/socialism_and_communism.htm
This excellent overview of Marxism, socialism, and communism
(scroll past the introductory information on anarchism) will help
you understand the influence of Marx and his theories, and the
evolution of political movements based on them until the present
day . Highly recommended to help explain Marxism, socialism, and
communism and to put these ideologies into perspective.
http://peace.moveon.org/r2.php3?r=129
This FAQ on socialism answers such questions as whether the
experience of the former U.S.S.R. demonstrates that socialism
doesn't work. It is written from a socialist perspective.
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~dmcm/Articles/FAQ.htm
This extensive Marxism FAQ was complied by the Youth for
International Socialism.
http://www.newyouth.com/archives/theory/marxismfaq.asp
Marxists are not necessarily opposed to war as such; however,
Marxists analyze war in terms of class struggle.
http://peace.moveon.org/r2.php3?r=131
Michael Albert of Znet (who advocates a system called
participatory economics) debates the merits of Marxism with Alan
Maas of the International Socialist Organization. Among his
criticisms of Marxism are that it will help bring power into the
hands of a new elite, and that its focus is often too narrow.
http://www.zmag.org/debateiso.htm
Marxists.org is an extensive Internet archive which has almost
everything you could want to know about Marxism. The information
is available in several different languages.
http://www.marxists.org/
A list of communist parties around the world.
http://www.broadleft.org/communis.htm
Whether you agree with Marxism or not, in order to better
understand these political theories and their impact on modern
sociological thought (which has been considerable), you may want
to do some more reading on Marx and post-Marxian theorists.
Recommended to get you started are: The Communist Manifesto, Karl
Marx Capital, Karl Marx Theories of Social Inequality: Classical
and Contemporary Perspectives, Edward G. Grabb
LIBERTARIANISM
Libertarianism and liberalism once meant the same thing. Now that
liberalism is evolving into an ideology (in the US) that advocates
some government control, however, libertarianism can be seen as
distinct from liberalism. Libertarianism is:
"[a] contemporary 20th century political viewpoint or ideology
derived largely from 19th century liberalism, holding that any
legitimate government should be small and should play only the
most minimal possible role in economic, social and cultural life,
with social relationships to be regulated as much as possible by
voluntary contracts and generally accepted custom and as little as
possible by statute law. In other words, libertarians believe that
the individual should be as free as is practically feasible from
government restraint and regulation in both the economic and
non-economic aspects of life."
http://www.auburn.edu/~johnspm/gloss/libertarianism.html
A FAQ on libertarianism.
http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/faqs/libertarianism.html
This non-libertarian FAQ on libertarianism attempts to point out
some of the short-falls of the ideology, thus providing fuel for
Internet discussions with Libertarians.
http://world.std.com/~mhuben/faq.html
In this critique of libertarianism from Salon.com, the author
notes: "In its ironclad internal logic, its unswerving ideology
and the fervor of its disciples, libertarianism, like Marxism,
resembles a religion almost as much as it does a political
philosophy."
http://www.salon.com/jan97/state970120.html
The official US libertarian response to 9-11 is outlined in this
press release from the National Libertarian Party (US). Among
other things, the party calls for "a foreign policy that limits
our intervention in the affairs and quarrels of other nations" and
for US citizens to "remain ever vigilant that terrorists don't win
by turning America into the kind of nation where our cherished
freedoms are only a fading memory."
http://peace.moveon.org/r2.php3?r=132
The Executive Director of the Libertarian Party (US) argues that
the greatest threat to American freedom is not terrorism, but the
US government's expanded powers, which are growing even more with
the threat of war with Iraq.
http://www.lp.org/lpnews/0209/fromthedirector.html
A short list of links to libertarian parties around the world.
http://peace.moveon.org/r2.php3?r=133
FASCISM
A brief introduction to fascism:
"Fascism tends to celebrate masculinity, youth, mystical unity,
and the regenerative power of violence. Often, but not always, it
promotes racial superiority doctrines, ethnic persecution,
imperialist expansion, and genocide. At the same time, fascists
may embrace a form of internationalism based on either racial or
ideological solidarity across national boundaries. Usually fascism
espouses open male supremacy, though sometimes it may also promote
female solidarity and new opportunities for women of the
privileged nation or race."
http://www.publiceye.org/eyes/whatfasc.html
Benito Mussolini's definition of fascism, as written for the
Italian Encyclopedia in 1932, states:
"Fascism, the more it considers and observes the future and the
development of humanity quite apart from political considerations
of the moment, believes neither in the possibility nor the utility
of perpetual peace. It thus repudiates the doctrine of Pacifism --
born of a renunciation of the struggle and an act of cowardice in
the face of sacrifice. War alone brings up to its highest tension
all human energy and puts the stamp of nobility upon the peoples
who have courage to meet it. "
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/mussolini-fascism.html
This is a list of links to some fascist parties/organizations,
which include Nazi parties.
http://dmoz.org/Society/Politics/Fascism/Organizations/
OTHER RESOURCES
This a list of political parties and interest groups in each
country around the world with links to each.
http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/parties.htm
CREDITS
Research this issue:
Joanne Comito
Maha Mikhail
Vicki Nikolaidis
Ben Spencer
Sharon Winn
Proofreading team:
David Taub Bancroft
Madlyn Bynum
Carol Brewster
Melinda Coyle
Nancy Evans
Mary Kim
Dagmara Meijers-Troller
Alfred K. Weber
GET INVOLVED
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to doing research on bulletin topics. If you're interested in
helping out, please send us a note at [email protected] that
gives us a sense of who you are and why you're interested.
If you would like us to include an action, news article, or source
for more information in the bulletin, please write to
[email protected] and describe your item in the subject line.
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