Over the millennia, political philosophers have expounded on a variety of
political ideologies, or ways governments and societies can be organized. Today,
scholars generally talk about five major political ideologies:
- Anarchism
- Absolutism
- Liberalism
- Conservatism
- Socialism
These political ideologies are, for the most part, mutually exclusive. So, a
liberal government does not usually practice socialism, nor does an absolute ruler
follow liberalism. The five major political ideologies have played a key role in
history by shaping governments and political movements.
Anarchism
The belief that the best government is absolutely no government is known
as anarchism. This ideology argues that everything about
governments is repressive and therefore must be abolished entirely. A related
ideology known as nihilism emphasizes that everything—both
government and society—must be periodically destroyed in order to start anew.
Nihilists often categorically reject traditional concepts of morality in favor
of violence and terror. Anarchism and nihilism were once associated with
socialism because many anarchists and nihilists supported the socialists’ call
for revolution and the complete overhaul of government and society in the early
to mid-twentieth century.
Example: Although neither violent nor
strictly anarchist, members of the American Libertarian Party believe that
government should be so small that it hardly ever interferes in citizens’
lives, thereby best preserving individual liberty.
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