Chapter 18 New Political Ideas

Subject: Emergence of new ideologies

1. Definition of ideology
Set of fundamental ideas that characterizes the thought of a person, collectivity or era, of a cultural, religious or political movement, etc.

2. Liberalism
Economic, political and philosophical doctrine that advocated for the development of individual personal freedom and from this the democratic freedom of the whole society. Among its basic points were freedom of thought, expression, press, religion and the right to vote as a form of participation.
But some of its proponents did not agree with universal suffrage, but only the wealthy and educated participated.

3. Socialism
It opposes conservatism and liberalism. It is based on the social in defending the interests of the classes, especially the female worker. Utopian socialism was characterized by the adoption of practices for the social improvement of workers. They understood that capitalism exploited the workers and allowed the rich to increase their fortunes.

4. Scientific Socialism

Proposed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels denounced that capitalism by nature is a system that produces the misery and exploitation of workers. The ownership of the means of production is in the hands of the capitalist class which causes exploitation of the worker who receives only a part of the profit which is his wage. It is then that it is necessary that the means of production belongs to the whole society and that through economic planning the distribution of social benefits is given. At the end of the nineteenth century it became the ideology of almost all the parties that defended the liberation of the working class.

5. Proposals that were promoted by socialism
Universal suffrage, equal rights of women, social protection system (social security, pensions and medical care), 8-hour work day and workers' associations and unions.