Political Ideologies: Part One: Introduction

The term was popularised by Antoine Destutt de Tracy. It arose from a way of thinking promoted during the Enlightenment wherein it was believed that through a deeper understanding of ideas and reality it was possible to improve the future.

Political ideologies had adversary from the start from both the left and right wing. Right wing politicians such as Napoleon believe this type of politics to be impractical, and to stand in the way of real action; whilst theorists from the left held that ideologies acted as cloak a for classist practises and the institutionalisation of inequality. In The German Ideologies, Marx and Engels held that ideologies represented an abstract and distorted view of relationships within the production process (Marx & Engels DATE).

Liberalists believe that humans are essentially rational and should be allowed freedom of control over their own lives and futures. Therefore the goal of the left is the development of a just and democratic society; free from exploitation and oppression. They do not believe in intervention unless it is a situation in which an individual may present a risk to others.

In negation to this, the right wing, envisioning human nature as essentially imperfect, believe it to be important for the government to protect individuals and society against them self. This leads the conservatives to favour a more interventionalist and paternalistic form of government. These are the kind of structures which Liberals often criticise for harbouring entrenched class inequalities.