Political Ideology and the Liberal Centre

AN INTRODUCTION TO POLITICS

IDEAS, STRUCTURES, PEOPLE AND PLACES

No. 5: POLITICAL IDEAOLOGY

Copyright 2016 Dr. Philip Tether

Published by Dr. Philip Tether at Smashwords

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Political Ideology and the Liberal Centre

Dr. Philip Tether

This is No. 5 in a series of introductory texts each addressing an aspect of politics. The current and forthcoming title list is shown below. They are free-standing but link together to present a multi-layered analysis of the ideas, structures, people and processes which go to shape the world of politics. The author has taught government and politics in various higher education institutions for over thirty years.

The focus is largely but not exclusively on the UK. Where appropriate, examples and illustrations are drawn from around the world. The material is designed to be accessible to students at all levels from beginners to university students. ‘Aims,’ ‘Contents’ and ‘Learning Outcomes’ are specified at the start of every text and each concludes with an overview summary and a set of review questions for independent learning.

The current title list includes:

No 1: The Purpose of Politics

No 2: Political Systems

No 3: Popular Democracy

No 4: Liberal Democracy

No 5: Political Ideology and the Liberal Centre

No 6: Political Ideology: Politics on the Right

Forthcoming titles are planned:

No 7: Political Ideology: Politics on the Left

No 8: The Politics of the European Union (EU)

No 9: The politics of Global Governance

POLITICAL IDEOLOGY

Aims of this text

Numbers 1 and 2 in this series emphasised that politics is essentially a process which takes place inside governing structures or political systems. These political systems come in many different shapes and sizes. Numbers 3 and No 4 built on these foundations and explored the core principle of democracy - the sovereignty of the people – and the liberal values which are yoked to it to yield ‘liberal-democracy’.

Throughout, these chapters have emphasised that politics in a liberal-democracy involves peaceful and constructive conflict within a set of rules. These conflicts are shaped by ideas. Ideas give politics form, direction and purpose. Ideas define and differentiate political parties and their programmes. Ideas provide power-holders and power-seekers with views – distinctive and different – on how society ought to be organised, what constitutes ‘justice’ and how resources ought to be distributed. These ideas ‘hang together’, they constitute an integrated and coherent ‘package’ of beliefs and understandings which inform and justify action (or inaction).

These packages are called ‘political ideology’ i.e. ideas applied specifically to politics. This text examines the origins and significance of political ideology, the various ways in which it can be categorised and understood and, finally, it reviews in some detail the emergence in the early modern world of the economic and political ideas underpinning the first and greatest ideology of them all – liberalism. Liberalism was the first of the major ideologies of the modern world to appear – dominating the centre of the political spectrum then and now. Ideologies of the left and the right - socialism and conservatism - came later. They were both shaped by liberalism, absorbing some key values and tenets and self-consciously rejecting others.

Learning outcomes

After reading this text you should be able to understand and discuss:

* The definitions and functions of political ideology.

* Claims concerning the ‘end of ideology’.

* The central role played by liberal ideology in the modern era.

* The history of liberalism.

* The components of liberal ideology.

* The Liberal Democrat Party – its history and development.

At the end of this text you will find a selection of review questions to test your understanding of these learning outcomes.

Table of Contents

The Purpose of Politics - this book series

Aims and Learning Outcomes

Defining political ideology

Categorising political ideologies

Post modernism - the end of ideology?

The birth of liberalism

From Whig to liberal

Classic and social liberalism

The Liberal Democrats

References

About Dr. Philip Tether

Other books by Dr. Philip Tether

Connect with Dr. Philip Tether

Defining political ideology

We will begin with an examination of ‘ideology’ and then move on to ‘political ideology’. The term ‘ideology’ was first employed in 1796 by the French aristocrat and philosopher Antoine Destutt de Tracy (1754-1836). De Tracy was interested in developing a science of the human