module 2-3

Question 1

what is fascism/nazism? core values?

Answer 1

Fascism and Nazism are extreme types of nationalism. The core assumptions of these ideologies are that there are “superior nations” because of their race, and these superior nations will eventually dominate “inferior” nations.

Question 2

what are four main points of fascism?

Answer 2

This extreme nationalism, by and large, assigns to the state, particularly to one leader, the supreme authority for the total control of society. Fascism and Nazism are anti-democratic, anti-individual rights, anti-communist, and anti-Semitic.

Question 3

what is an example of the continuation of fascism?

Answer 3

, the practice of corporatism has been increasingly observed to be common in many Western democracies. Corporatism is a form of functional representation promoted by the state through the inclusion of trade union and business federations in national economic policy planning. The state “controls and directs a highly concentrated but still privately controlled economy” at the expense of parliment representation because “important representation and decision making take place not in the parties, parliaments, and ministerial bureaucracies but in the tripartite structures where business, labour and governments are joined.

Question 4

what is corporatism?

Answer 4

“new form of interest-group politics, where instead of the competitive, lobbying activities of many pressure groups, there is a monopoly of access to the state by one group from each sector of society, with the state exercising reciprocal influence over the groups.” He further points out that while corporatist representation was embraced by fascist regimes, such as Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Vichy France and South American dictatorships, there are recent political institutional and operational

Question 5

define politics

Answer 5

“the art and science of government.” David Easton (1953, p. 129) called politics “the authoritative allocation of values for a society.”

Question 6

what are politics about?

Answer 6

“who gets what, when, and how.” Clearly, for Laswell politics is about the distribution of desirable things in life and, more often than not, this results in conflict and competition—how individuals and groups get power, wealth, de, and status, and how they retain it.

Question 7

what is an inherent element of politics?

Answer 7

one of its inherent elements is power—the pursuit and the preservation of it. Power is the ability to achieve what one wants

Question 8

ways to obtain power

Answer 8

coercion, influence, and authority. Theseforms of power are not mutually exclusive, and people who act with power can fall intoseveral categories.

Question 9

define coercion

Answer 9

the use of force or threat

Question 10

define influence

Answer 10

the use of persuasion or inducement

Question 11

define authority

Answer 11

through legitimate right

Question 12

what do politics result in

Answer 12

the interplay of values among individuals and groups within a society who are pursuing different goals for their own benefit. Because of the differing interests, preferences, and priorities of individuals and groups, there will be competition for building and maintaining support over suggested solutions to political issues.

Question 13

forms of competition in politics

Answer 13

This competition may take the form of armed conflict, such as war or civil unrest, or it may play out through the democratic process, such as elections.

Question 14

hard vs soft power

Answer 14

Coercion may be considered as more of a “hard” power, while influence and authority can be described more as “soft” power, although these labels can be debated.

Question 15

why are politics important?

Answer 15

politics touches all aspects of our lives. The laws and norms that are established to govern various aspects of peoples’ lives become the means by which a community of individuals creates and maintains a social order
decisions made by government impact our well-being, thuscitizens have an obligation to follow and participate in politics.
knowledge of politics is important for political action. People recognize that in order to influencegovernment rules or ensure that they are upheld, they must work with others.

Question 16

define authority and legitimacy

Answer 16

Authority, the right to exercise power, andlegitimacy,acceptance by the people of the rulers’ right to exercise power over them, are intrinsically linked to one another. A government that has the legal authority to govern but does not enjoy the legitimate support of citizens might find it difficult to govern effectively. Legitimacy is about the response of the ruled to their ruler, whether they accept it, or bear with it, rather than challenge it. Your textbook discusses the ways in which legitimacy may be established,

Question 17

types of authority

Answer 17

charismatic authority, traditional authority,andlegal-rational authority

Question 18

what are politics and governing about?

Answer 18

, politics and governing is all about addressing issues and determining how to best achieve the common good.

Question 19

when is the common good served?

Answer 19

Deciding on what the common good means in theory and in practice involves an examination of the pros and cons of all sides of an issue. The common good does not necessarily mean that everyone will like a decision or will even agree with it; rather it speaks to the government’s need to make decisions that serve society as a whole in the best manner possible, and that citizens would agree to respect.

Question 20

what is ideology?

Answer 20

To some North Americans, the termideologycarries a negative connotation because it is seen as uncritical loyalty among believers to rigid and fixed ways of thinking and is, therefore, the enemy of rational and pragmatic ways of problem solving. Many others, however, would argue that pragmatism is in itself an ideology. Most contemporary ideologies do not reject rational ways of problem solving. The problem is that each ideology definesrationaldifferently. Nonetheless, ideology is basically about the role of ideas and belief systems in social life; hence, some argue that ideology is everywhere and affects everyone.

Question 21

what are political ideologies?

Answer 21

Political ideologies are interrelated ideas and beliefs about how a society should be structured and governed and what its goals should be. Ideologies serve as a lens or perspective through which we view or make sense of the world in which we live. But people use different lenses or perspectives to view the world

Question 22

what shapes our ideological lenses?

Answer 22

hese lenses are shaped by different forces, such as governments, political and social groups, the educational system, and the mass media. Political ideologies are not just ideas used to describe the actions of political actors, but are also used to prescribe what the ideal society would look like.

Question 23

what forms ideology?

Answer 23

Questions concerning important aspects of social life, such as government, society, the economy, and human nature inform ideology. Each of these contributes to producing ideas on how best to organize a social group or society. These ideas can be seen in people’s perception, preference, and explanation of political orders

Question 24

why are ideologies important?

Answer 24

Ideologies influence and condition people’s social and political behaviours. They make people comfortable or uncomfortable about political institutions, leaders, and expectations. Moreover, ideologies inspire people to establish, change, or reject a particular political order. For these reasons, ideologies are important in political studies because of their connections with the real political world

Question 25

what does capitalism promote?

Answer 25

capitalism promotes private property, free enterprise, and equal opportunities in the market, but it does not promote equal distribution of wealth by the government.

Question 26

what does socialism promote?

Answer 26

Socialism promotes public ownership, government economic planning, and distribution of wealth for the purpose of creating equal economic results for people of different social and economic levels

Question 27

democratic ideology

Answer 27

In a democratic society, the ideology that has the most support from the citizens is the dominant ideology.

Question 28

communist ideology?

Answer 28

In a communist society, the government-sponsored ideology—socialism or communism—is the dominant ideology.
However, sometimes counter-ideologies coexist and compete with the dominant ideology in a society.

Question 29

do ideologies affect each other?

Answer 29

Interestingly, however, different ideologies influence each other. In some cases, dominant ideologies absorb the policy proposals or programs of counter-ideologies. Some core beliefs in some ideologies are changing because of the influence of competing counter-ideologies and the need to appeal to supporters. Reform liberalism or social conservatism, for instance, favour government regulations or government programs that are aimed at alleviating some of the worst poverty in our capitalist system. These programs often have the effect of redistributing wealth from the rich to the poor, which is the core goal of socialist ideologies.

Question 30

what are the central values of liberalism?

Answer 30

The central values of liberalism are individual freedom (or liberty) and equality.

Question 31

how did liberalism arise?

Answer 31

liberalism arose in opposition to the absolute rule of the monarchy and aristocracy, which curtailed individual freedoms and considered kings and rulers to come directly from God, thus essentially “better” than those whom they ruled.

Question 32

what is the focus of the new social order in liberalism?

Answer 32

In this new social order, the focus is on the ability of individuals to express their own thoughts and make their own choices as they see fit—and in their best interest—because they are rational human beings. Moreover, each individual is seen as equal, formally and legally, to possess personal rights, yet not equal in her or his ability to carry out these

Question 33

what is john stuart mill’s harm principle?

Answer 33

The harm principle means that the rights of the individual only extend as far as they do not interfere with the rights and freedoms of another individual. Based on the concepts of freedom and equality, governments in communities of free individuals must be established based on the principles of the rule of law and the consent of the governed.

Question 34

what is the rule of law?

Answer 34

The rule of law is the principle that everyone should be subject to known, predictable, and impartial rules of conduct. Put simply, the law is supreme; rulers and the people are bound to obey the law. The law ensures the protection of the rights and freedoms of individuals from the arbitrary interference of government officials. In liberal societies, the legitimacy of a government is not inherited. It is based on the consent of the people who have freely given their permission for their leaders to govern them as, for example, through elections. Changes in society are also reflected in the adaptation of liberalism as an ideology.

Question 35

what are the different forms of liberalism?

Answer 35

classical, reform, and neo-liberalism.

Question 36

what is conservatism?

Answer 36

Conservatism is an ideology that came about in response to the radical changes occurring through the adoption of liberal ideas. Conservatism stresses the ideas of stability, order, and respect for authority and is based on the premise that humans are imperfect, with a limited capacity of reason. Change is constant, but conservatives believe that moderate change over time is preferable to radical change.

Question 37

how is conservatism best understood?

Answer 37

Conservatism is best understood from an historical perspective. Born in reaction to the French Revolution (1789–1799), conservatism wanted to maintain the structure of the “old order” of monarchy and nobility as the governance of society. The negative aspects of the French Revolution, as it plunged from a rational means to reorganize society into one of terror, led to the conservative belief that humanity was inherently imperfect. Thus, a strong law-bound society was needed to maintain order and to protect property and ownership rights, necessitating a strong government.

Question 38

how is contemporary conservatism different?

Answer 38

Contemporary conservatism is more selective. Economically, contemporary conservatism does not favour big government spending on social programs. It supports tax cuts to create more business opportunities in the private sector and high employment opportunities for the workers. It encourages individualism and hard work so that citizens are expected to save more for their medical, education, and old-age care needs. In the social sphere, contemporary conservatism defends traditional customs and institutions. Unsurprisingly, conservatives oppose abortion, divorce, and gay and lesbian rights, and want government to “get tough on crime.”

Question 39

what is classical liberalism?

Answer 39

Classical liberalism, the earlier form of liberalism, emphasize government and the reliance on the power of the free market system to create the political and social change desired by citizens. The essence of classical liberalism is the protection of life,liberty,and property, as set out in thesocial contract theoryof John Locke.

Question 40

what is the social contract theory?

Answer 40

. This is the idea that, within the State of Nature, people had been free and equal, but to protect these elements of liberalism (life, liberty, and property)—and to assist in settling disputes—citizens contracted with a dominant authority by forming a government. This government, or authority, would be limited in power. Locke further expounded in hisSecond Treatise of Government, published in 1688, that, should the government fail to live up to its obligations, the people (citizens) had the right to change that government and to establish a new one. In brief, the role of government was limited to dispute resolution, rather than to dictatorial rule

Question 41

what happens with the limited role of government?

Answer 41

With the limited role placed upon government dispute resolution, businesses and individuals had the freedom to make decisions consistent with the pursuit of their own interests. Workers, consumers, and privately owned businesses were thus free to interact in the marketplace, in a system known aslaissez-faire.

Question 42

what do all canadian parties follow?

Answer 42

All of Canada’s major political parties follow ideas of liberalism, with, if one were following a recipe, a dash of socialism and conservatism to add flavour

Question 43

what does the left indicate? right?

Answer 43

Left indicates the extreme ideological position that criticizes the capitalist system, and it would look at an idealized society envisioned by Marx (social and economic equality). The right would be more inclined toward the ideas of free-market capitalism and the protection of property rights and traditional moral values (liberalism and conservatism)

Question 44

describe environmentalism

Answer 44

The key idea of environmentalism is that humanity needs to improve its relationship with nature, that a proper balance between human activities and the health of the earth, including that of wildlife, must be maintained. Environmental protection has been embraced by other ideologies such as liberalism, conservatism, and socialism. But political parties centred on environmentalism, such as the Green Party, want the environment to be the top policy priority of any government.

Question 45

what is the goal of feminism?

Answer 45

The general goal of feminism is to advance the rights of women and to promote gender equality.

Question 46

types of feminism?

Answer 46

such asliberal feminism, radical feminism,andsocialist feminism.Liberal feminism believes that the existing social and political structures are biased against women; it is only by reforming these structures, not completely destroying them, that gender equality can be achieved. By contrast, radical feminists call for the need to build a female-centred new culture that would ensure comprehensive gender equality. Socialist feminists, on the other hand, argue that private ownership guaranteed under the capitalist system is the source of gender inequality because males control the overwhelming majority of the wealth.

Question 47

where is the strength of feminism?

Answer 47

The strength of feminism lies in its analysis of the social, cultural, and historical roots of gender inequality. Although feminism was instrumental in making the general public and governments aware of gender inequality in society, it also generated varied responses. More people saw this inequality between males and females as important. Others think that feminist demands are unreasonable.