The philosophers’ ideas, however, are simplified and popularized. Ideologists want plans for action, not abstract ideas. Marx, for example, ‘stood Hegel on his head’ to make economics the great underlying cause. Most ideologies have a large economic component, for it is economics that will improve society. Lenin later stood Marx on his head to make his ideas apply to a backward country where Marx doubted they should. Mao Zedong then applied Lenin’s ideas to an ever more backward country, where they did not fit at all. Ideologies become warped.
Ideologies can be classified-with some oversimplification-on a left-to-right spectrum that dates back to the meeting of the French National Assembly in 1789. To allow delegates of similar views to caucus and to keep apart strong partisans who might fight, members were seated as follows in a semicircular chamber: Conservatives (who favored continuation of the monarchy) were on the speaker’s right, radicals (who favored sweeping away the old system altogether in favor of a republic of freedom and equality) were seated to his left, and moderates (who wanted some change) were seated in the center.
We have been calling their ideological descendants left, right, and center ever since, even though the content of their views has changed. The left now favors equality, welfare programs, and government intervention in the economy. The right stresses individual initiative and private economic activity Centrists try to synthesize and moderate the views of both. People a little to one side or the other are called center-left or center-right. Sweden’s political parties from a rather neat left-to-right spectrum: a small Left Party (formerly Communist); a large Social Democratic Party; and medium-sized Center (formerly Farmers’) Liberal, Christian, and Conservative Parties.
One ideology gives rise to others (see figure below). Starting with the classic liberalism of Adam Smith, we see how liberalism branched leftward into radical, socialist, and communist directions. Meanwhile, on the conservative side, it branched rightward.
The philosophers’ ideas, however, are simplified and popularized. Ideologists want plans for action, not abstract ideas. Marx, for example, ‘stood Hegel on his head’ to make economics the great underlying cause. Most ideologies have a large economic component, for it is economics that will improve society. Lenin later stood Marx on his head to make his ideas apply to a backward country where Marx doubted they should. Mao Zedong then applied Lenin’s ideas to an ever more backward country, where they did not fit at all. Ideologies become warped.
Ideologies can be classified-with some oversimplification-on a left-to-right spectrum that dates back to the meeting of the French National Assembly in 1789. To allow delegates of similar views to caucus and to keep apart strong partisans who might fight, members were seated as follows in a semicircular chamber: Conservatives (who favored continuation of the monarchy) were on the speaker’s right, radicals (who favored sweeping away the old system altogether in favor of a republic of freedom and equality) were seated to his left, and moderates (who wanted some change) were seated in the center.
We have been calling their ideological descendants left, right, and center ever since, even though the content of their views has changed. The left now favors equality, welfare programs, and government intervention in the economy. The right stresses individual initiative and private economic activity Centrists try to synthesize and moderate the views of both. People a little to one side or the other are called center-left or center-right. Sweden’s political parties from a rather neat left-to-right spectrum: a small Left Party (formerly Communist); a large Social Democratic Party; and medium-sized Center (formerly Farmers’) Liberal, Christian, and Conservative Parties.
One ideology gives rise to others (see figure below). Starting with the classic liberalism of Adam Smith, we see how liberalism branched leftward into radical, socialist, and communist directions. Meanwhile, on the conservative side, it branched rightward.