Politics Today
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Politics and ideology now exist in a confused and changing world where traditional political doctrines are being reformulated and challenged by new ones. Politicians still call themselves socialists, conservatives and liberals, but amongst these groups exist very different understandings of what these terms represent. This volume examines the variety of ideas, values and doctrines that influence British politics today, in the light of how they developed and arrived in their present state. The first section of the book looks at different aspects of the wider context: the nature of political doctrines or ideologies, and the role they play in politics in general; the British constitution and how one ideology - liberalism - has been especially important in shaping it; and the role of economic theory in modern politics. The main section of the book examines individual ideologies, broadly grouped into two catagories of "mainstream" (conservatism, socialism, liberalism and nationalism) and the "fringe" (greens, the far left and the far right).
Finally a short section considers the future and what forces may shape the further development of those doctrines which are part of British politics today.
Finally a short section considers the future and what forces may shape the further development of those doctrines which are part of British politics today.
An introduction to political ideologies, this book explains the nature of ideology and its part in political life. It then examines liberalism, socialism, conservatism, marxism, anarchism and fascism in turn, taking a broadly historical approach to show how each has evolved. The new right in the 1980s is also discussed, together with more recent developments in religious and sexual politics. Adams shows that contemporary ideological thinking is thriving, despite the "end of ideology" proclaimed after the capitalist West's triumph in the Cold War. He also discusses prospects for future ideological developments. This book is designed for A level students and undergraduates of politics, and political theory and philosophy.