What is ideology?

It is difficult to rule a society. You can think of it like a machine, where each part is just as important as the other. If one part is broken, the machine will stop working.

An ideology is the political principle on how society should be organised.Those who lead with a certain ideology want the whole society to be based on those ideas. An ideology is ideas and ideals on how social and political life should be.

An ideology will use many means to reach its goals. This could be through revolution or war, or through democratic processes.

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Man’s place in life

Ideologies can explain people’s place in life and society. Things that have happened before will influence the future. All ideologies have different views on how we should live our lives.

A society needs to make a plan on how to divide power, goods and burdens. Benefits are the good things you have, and burdens are what is difficult in life.

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Are all people of equal value?

If you believe in one ideology, it can change your life. It can change both you and the society and the world we live in. Ideology is partly about how we value human life.

📷  Auschwitz was the largest German concentration camp during the Second World War and is located in Poland.

Here are some important questions to reflect upon:

  • Are all human beings worth the same?
  • Who has the right to make decisions about other people?
  • How does the ideology view democracy?
  • Should the government or citizens run society? 
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When did modern ideologies arise?

In the 18th century, modern ideologies arose. This period is called the Age of Enlightenment. In this time, human happiness and knowledge was in focus. From that point on, society was based on reason and science, and not on religion.

When the industrial revolution came in the 1770s, there were large economic and social changes. The cities grew and different ideologies tried to explain the new social structures.

Each ideology wanted to show the way to a better society. The industrial revolution brought with it big change, and different people had different views about these changes.

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Interests of different groups

There were several revolutions in Europe in the late 18th century. Different groups wanted to change how society was ruled, often to make it better for themselves. This led to war. The revolutions were positive for some and negative for others.

📷   Street fighting during the French revolution

People wanted to secure their political and economic freedom. The upper class and the royals would fight anyone that came in their way. The working class grew larger during the industrial revolution and had strong wishes and needs for a fair working environment. 

Different ideologies were created to meet the needs of the different groups.

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Kampene under den Franske revolusjonen
Kampene under den Franske revolusjonen

The most common ideologies:

En knyttet neve malt på en rødmalt vegg
En knyttet neve malt på en rødmalt vegg

Other ideologies

  • Anarchism thinks that the state is harmful. Also, they think that society can rule itself without a political structure. 
  • Green ideology wants to keep nature and the climate in good shape. To do this, society needs democracy and peace work. 
  • Feminism is a set of ideologies that believes in equality and justice for women. Today, the right to abortion is a big issue around the world.
Vindmøller
Vindmøller

Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism is a religious ideology. The holy writings are important in this ideology. The Jews have the Tanakh, the Christians have the Bible and the Muslims have the Koran. 

Fundamentalists are missionaries, and they spread their message through the media. If they feel threatened by politics or other ideologies, they can start an armed conflict.

Mann peker og holder opp en bibel
Mann peker og holder opp en bibel

Political ideology in the UK

Political parties in the UK

There are a number of political parties in the UK, but the two main parties are the Conservative Party and Labour Party. These political parties have changed over the years, but they are mostly the same.

The Conservative Party

The Conservative party believes that:

  • Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should continue to be a part of the United Kingdom.
  • Same opportunities for everyone in education and markets.
  • Good welfare reforms and working skills are important to handling social unfairness. 
  • Innovation, entrepreneurship, and free business are important in society.
  • The welfare state should be there for the sick and those in need; those who can find work and careers should be supported to do so.
  • There should be less immigration to the United Kingdom. 
  • There should be no changes made to how elections are held in Britain.

The Labour Party

Most Labour Party supporters believe in the following:

  • The government should invest money to make public transport (e.g. buses and trains) better.
  • Tax on billion and multi-million-pound businesses should be higher.
  • People with an income in the top 5% should pay more taxes. 
  • Support for trade unions.
  • A minimum salary should be set for all workers.
  • Support workers’ rights.
  • Support the welfare state.

Other political parties

Some smaller parties also have a few seats. These are:

  • Scottish National Party
  • Liberal Democrats
  • Northern Ireland Parties
  • Plaid Cymru
  • The Green Party
  • UK Independence Party
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Stortinget
Stortinget

General Elections

There are elections every five years in the UK. Everyone over 18 can vote for the party they want to win.

En som stemmer på stortingsvalget med det norske flagget i bakgrunnen
En som stemmer på stortingsvalget med det norske flagget i bakgrunnen

Sources:

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