The Political Spectrum

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The Political Spectrum

• Where do you stand?

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What is a Political Continuum?

• A value line which measures political beliefs
• Your views on issues determine where you fall.

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Factors That Determine Placement

• Three major factors shape political views
• how much change a person is willing to have
  within their society and government.
• how much government involvement in the economy a
  person calls for.
• how much freedom from government authority a
  leader is willing to give the people

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Political Labels

• To see where you stand, you would have to figure
  out where you stand on a number of social
  (people-related), economic (money-related), and
  political (governmental) issues.

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What is a Liberal?

• believe the government should be actively
  involved in the promotion of social welfare
• call for peaceful, gradual change within the
  existing political system.
• reject violent revolution as a way of changing
  the way things are

Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King
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What is a Radical?

• far left on the political spectrum
• call for wide-sweeping rapid change in the basic
  structure of the political, social, or economic
  system.
• willing to resort to extreme methods to bring
  about change, including the use of violence and
  revolution.

V.I. Lenin Mastermind of the Russian Revolution
and Father of the Soviet Union
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What is a Moderate?

• share viewpoints with both liberals and
  conservatives.
• seen as tolerant of other peoples views, do not
  hold extreme views of their own.
• advocate a go-slow or wait-and-see approach
  to social or political change.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) is generally seen as a
moderate.
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What is a Conservative?

• favor maintaining that status quo
• usually hesitant or cautious about adopting new
  policies, especially if they involve government
  activism in some way.
• feel that the less government there is, the
  better.
• agree with Jeffersons view that the best
  government governs least.

Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) is widely regarded as
the father of the modern conservative movement
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What is a Reactionary?

• far right of the ideological spectrum, want to go
  back to the way things werethe good ol days.
• are willing to use extreme methods, such as
  repressive use of government power, to achieve
  their goals.
• The term reactionary is generally negative.

Hitlers Mein Kampf is a typical reactionary
manifesto
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The Political Spectrum
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American Politicians on the Spectrum

• Here is how one website places important American
  political figures on the spectrum.You can take
  the quiz athttp//www.madrabbit.net/webrabbit/qui
  zshow.html