Ideology
From Encyclopædia
{y-dee-ahl'-uh-jee} An ideology is a system of beliefs that aspires to explain and to change the
world. The concept of ideology originated in France during the late 18th century, when some thinkers and writers attacked the divine right of the French king to rule and questioned orthodox religious traditions associated with the
Roman Catholic Church. The philosopher DESTUTT DE TRACY coined the term ideology to denote a
science of ideas that would be based, not on the discredited principles of faith and authority linked to the church and the monarchical state, but on knowledge gained from the human senses.Today social scientists conceive of ideology as a systematic set of principles that link
perceptions of the
world to explicit moral values. An ideology not only interprets the meaning of events, but also posits the need for change in the existing situation. This definition reflects three aspects of ideology: (1) its content, (2) its functions, and (3) its style of reasoning.What Ideology Is AboutThe content of political ideology is concerned with fundamental philosophical principles and the bases of political power. Ideologies such as CONSERVATISM,
liberalism, democratic
socialism, COMMUNISM,
fascism, and ANARCHISM all concern the nature of the self, the interaction between the self and the collectivity, the relation of the person to the physical environment, the nature of society, and the view of history. A political ideology also contains a program for political action. In this regard, the bases of political power and the interpretation of freedom and equality become especially important. Who rules now? Who ought to rule? How should the political leaders be selected? What will be the justification for the rulers'
exercise of power? What public policies will they pursue; that is, how will the priority and interpretations given to freedom and equality influence their preferences for certain public policies? From this standpoint, ideology can be regarded as a set of beliefs that both justify and criticize political decisions.What Ideology DoesIn its philosophical aspects an ideology seeks to explain the key problems facing a society and to interpret key events: it provides meaning for life and history. In its policy-related aspects, ideology shapes the purposes and priorities of political action. Once leaders determine to resolve specific social problems, political ideology influences the selection of the most desirable and feasible policies. An ideology thus operates as a perceptual screen that accepts some alternatives but filters out others. Furthermore, by providing reasons for actions, ideology helps those persons holding power to gain acceptance for their policies. Leaders who do not
exercise governmental power use ideology to challenge established authority, criticize existing policies, and offer proposals for change. Finally, ideologies can mobilize human efforts behind a cause, such as social equality or freedom from foreign domination and internal exploitation.Ideological ThoughtIdeology is a general,
abstract, systematic set of principles, rather than a set of specific, concrete, and random beliefs. Persons who think in terms of ideology perceive concrete events in the
light of
abstract ideas, such as equality for the downtrodden or freedom for the enterprising. Political activists and people preferring fundamental changes in the existing situation will often voice their ideas in an ideological style.The Historical Place of IdeologyHistorically, political ideology has been associated with movements for social change. An ideology encourages people to abandon their reliance on habit and routine as guides to behavior and to act instead according to a vision of a changed order. Generally, the more
abstract, deductive, and comprehensive the beliefs, the more likely that an ideology will assert the need for fundamental changes. In
Cuba, for example, Marxist-Leninist revolutionaries view ideology as a comprehensive, systematic program for political action to reconstruct the society.The most intense ideological struggles have occurred when societies were experiencing institutional disintegration, challenges to established authority, war, economic collapse, and rapid industrialization. Thus, in Western
Europe ideological polarization reached a peak between 1870 and 1940, when European societies faced rapid economic
growth, challenges to monarchical rule, war, and economic depression.After
world War II, postwar prosperity helped to decrease historical ideological
cleavages within individual countries. Internationally, however, the
world was sharply divided into the capitalist West and the communist East, with tensions sometimes threatening to produced global war.The transformation of Eastern European governments from communist to capitalist in 1989, the dissolution of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, and its pragmatic need for aid from the Western economies reduced the influence of ideology and promoted a greater spirit of cooperation.Charles F. AndrainBibliography:
bell, Daniel, The End of Ideology, rev. ed. (1967; repr. 1988); Benewick, Robert, et al., Knowledge and Belief in Politics: The Problem of Ideology (1973); Hoffer, Eric, The True Believer (1951); Hoover, K. R., Ideology and Political Life (1986); O'Sullivan, N., ed.,
terrorism, Ideology, and
revolution (1986) and The Structure of Modern Ideology (1989); Seliger, Martin, Ideology and Politics (1976); Therborn, Goran, The Ideology of Power and the Power of Ideology (1981).
