Core ideologies Key Terms

Conservative Anti‑Jacobinism

The conservative critique of the Jacobin-led radicalism of the French Revolution, stressing the importance of tradition, gradual reform, and the rule of law.

Whig Principles

Ideals associated with the Whig party, including parliamentary sovereignty, the rule of law, and a constitutional balance between monarchy and legislature.

Tradition

A set of inherited practices, values, and institutions that provide continuity and stability within a society.

Rationalism

A philosophical approach that prioritises abstract reasoning and systematic principles over experiential knowledge.

Collectivism

A political stance that prioritises group objectives over individual autonomy, often involving state intervention.

Ethical Egoism

The ethical view that individuals ought to pursue their own rational self‑interest.

Entitlement Theory

Nozick’s framework asserting that wealth inequalities are just if they result from just acquisition or voluntary transfer.

Limited State

A constitutional model where the state’s role is confined to protecting rights and enforcing contracts, avoiding broader social engineering.

State Intervention

The use of government powers to influence economic activity, such as through regulation, taxation, or direct ownership of enterprises.

Class Struggle

The conflict between different social classes, particularly between the working class and the capitalist class, which socialism views as the engine of historical change.

Socialism

An ideology advocating collective ownership of the means of production and a more egalitarian distribution of wealth.

Democratic Socialism

A form of socialism that seeks to achieve its aims through democratic processes rather than revolutionary change.

Marxism

A socio‑economic theory developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, focusing on class struggle, the critique of capitalism, and the vision of a class‑less society.

Class Analysis

The examination of society’s economic divisions, particularly the relationship between the owning class and the working class, to understand power dynamics and potential for social change.

Revolutionary Socialism

An ideology that calls for the overthrow of capitalism through a proletarian revolution, establishing a workers’ state that centrally plans the economy.

Social Democracy

An ideology that pursues a more egalitarian society by reforming capitalism through democratic means, such as progressive taxation, labour legislation and welfare provision.

Class analysis

The study of the economic relations of production and the power dynamics between social classes, especially the bourgeoisie and proletariat.

Dialectical materialism

The Marxist view that material conditions and class contradictions drive historical development, with change arising from the resolution of contradictions.

Spontaneity

The capacity of the working class to organise and act collectively without top‑down direction.

Party‑oriented class struggle

A strategy in which a small, disciplined party directs the broader class movement.

Co‑operative movement

A collective of worker‑owned enterprises that operate on democratic principles to serve members’ economic and social interests.

Co‑operative federalism

A decentralised organisational model where local co‑operatives coordinate through federations, sharing resources while maintaining autonomy.

Marxism

A socio‑economic theory that advocates for class struggle, the abolition of private property, and the establishment of a classless society through state control of the means of production.

Nationalisation

The process by which a government takes ownership of private industry, typically to achieve public welfare objectives.

Third Way

An ideological approach that combines market‑based economic policies with a commitment to social welfare and equality.

Traditional Socialism

A system advocating collective ownership of production, central planning, and state control to achieve economic equality.