Ideological belonging of political parties

Political ideologies.

Many political parties base their political action and election program on an ideology. In social studies, a political ideology is a certain ethical set of ideals, principles, doctrines, myths or symbols of a social movement, institution, class, and or large group that explains how society should work, and offers some political and cultural blueprint for a certain social order. A political ideology largely concerns itself with how to allocate power and to what ends it should be used. Some parties follow a certain ideology very closely, while others may take broad inspiration from a group of related ideologies without specifically embracing any one of them. The popularity of an ideology is in part due to the influence of moral entrepreneurs, who sometimes act in their own interests.

Political ideologies have two dimensions:

1. Goals: How society should function or be organized.

2. Methods: The most appropriate way to achieve this goal.

An ideology is a collection of ideas. Typically, each ideology contains certain ideas on what it considers to be the best form of government (e.g. democracy, autocracy, etc.), and the best economic system (e.g. capitalism, socialism, etc.). Sometimes the same word is used to identify both an ideology and one of its main ideas. For instance, "socialism" may refer to an economic system, or it may refer to an ideology which supports that economic system.

Ideologies also can be distinguished from political strategies (e.g. populism) and from single issues that a party may be built around (e.g. opposition to European integration or the legalization of marijuana).

Ideologies identify themselves by their position on the political spectrum (such as the left, the centre or the right), though this is very often controversial.

The left–right political spectrum is a common way of classifying political positions, ideologies, or parties along a political spectrum. Left-wing politics and right-wing politics are often presented as opposed, and although a particular individual or party may take a left-wing stance on one matter and a right-wing stance on another, the terms left and right are used to refer to two globally opposed political families.

Traditionally, the Left includes progressives, social liberals, social democrats, socialists, communists and some anarchists. The Right includes conservatives, reactionaries, capitalists, monarchists, nationalists and fascists.

The main factor dividing the left and right wings in Western Europe is class. The Left seeks social justice through redistributive social and economic policies, while the Right defends private property and capitalism. But the nature of the conflict depends on existing social and political cleavages and on the level of economic development. Left-wing values include the belief in the power of human reason to achieve progress for the benefit of the human race, secularism, sovereignty exercised through the legislature, social justice, and mistrust of strong personal political leadership. To the Right, this is regularly seen as anti-clericalism, unrealistic social reform, doctrinaire socialism and class hatred. The Right are skeptical about the capacity of radical reforms to achieve human well-being while maintaining workplace competition. They believe in the established church both in itself and as an instrument of social cohesion, and believe in the need for strong political leadership to minimize social and political divisions. To the Left, this is seen as a selfish and reactionary opposition to social justice, a wish to impose doctrinaire religion on the population, and a tendency to authoritarianism and repression.

The main ideologies are:

Conservatism:
Conservatives believe in a well-ordered society based on the personal responsibility of individuals. National traditions and patriotism are important to conservatives. They are suspicious of government and have therefore traditionally supported a limited role for the state. i.e. The state should not get too involved in matters it doesn't need to.
The creation and preservation of personal wealth and property are cornerstones of conservative thinking. For example, conservatives believe in a free market and believe government should not intervene with businesses.

Socialism:
Socialism consists of a variety of views on the left of the political spectrum. At the heart of the ideology is a belief in equality, which many argue can only be brought about by the ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange. The elimination of poverty and social deprivation and the eradication of the causes of inequality are all aspirations that are pursued by socialists.

Liberalism:
Liberals believe in the primacy of individual rights which should only be restricted, according to Liberals, if they infringe on on the rights of others. Personal freedoms are crucial to Liberal Philosophy. (Representative government, free-speech, abolition of class privilege and state protection of the individual.)

Anyone is free to devise any kind of ideology they like, based on logical reasoning, or illogical reasoning, or divine revelation, or hunches and guesswork, or anything else.

Consider that basis for functioning of political parties are ideological principles. For this reason, programs of many political parties are built on the basis of operating political ideologies. Today the political ideology is understood as the system of norms of organization of society, it`s values and the role of human in it. An ideological variety is important condition of stabilizing and successful functioning of any society. It can be achieved through implementation of ideologies, which are close to the political interests of majority of citizens. There are many classifications of political parties on different criteria. According to ideological orientation they can be divided into: communist, socialistic, social democratic, conservative, fascist, neo-fascist, liberal– democratic, nationalistic, anarchist etc. Describing the Ukrainian party system, we should consider that it is at the transformation stage. Comparing the Ukrainian party system to the European standards, will mark it segmental character, that is why it should be studied not as institute of civil society, but as specific constituents of this system. The factor which influences the most is frequent changes in the Ukrainian electoral legislation, permanent fight for plenary powers between legislature, executive power and Secretariat of President.

For determination of ideological belonging of leading political parties as analytical instrument will use a «ideological (ideological and political) spectrum». If we place political parties on a linear scale, they are traditionally divided into left, centrist and right. When structuring the Ukrainian party spectrum, often the name of political force, it`s ideology, practical actions, statements are contrary to each other.

The party programs and political ideologies, as a rule, have declarative character and does not answer practical activity of this political force. As a result, political associations often are a situational caused by political corruption. political parties in relation to an own orientation on ideological and political activity are the most concerned, dynamic and professional subject and producer of political ideologies. Championship belongs to political parties among operating social and political organizations, and in relation to an efficiency and mobility, they take the lead over state institutes.

For modern Ukrainian political reality formation of the ideological systems is typical. As a rule, basic ideological principles is striving for democracy, humanism, equality, freedom. However, ideological constituent in theoretical and practical activity of Ukrainian political parties, as a rule, is used for a «demonstration effect». Nowadays it is hard to classify Ukrainian political parties on a traditional chart left – centrists are right. Therefore today the matter concerns centre-left and centre-right parties, that corresponds to the modern European tendencies.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14