Political Ideologies: Foundations of State and Society
Liberalism: Foundations and Principles
The tradition known as liberal politics was born in England in the eighteenth century, opposing tyranny and fundamentally defending individual freedom.
John Locke and Inalienable Rights
John Locke established that the individual has three basic inalienable rights: the right to life, the right to liberty, and property rights. These rights are considered prior to society. From this approach, the following consequences follow:
- Limited State Function: The state's sole function is to protect citizens' rights. The state is not entitled to intervene in any other way in public life.
- Control of Power: It is necessary to control the actions of the government to prevent it from using its power to assume functions not assigned to it or to violate particular citizens' rights.
Representative Government
The government must be representative of the people. For Locke, the people must choose by vote representatives who will pass laws in parliament.
Socialism and Social Democracy
Socialism: Collectivization and Core Concepts
Socialism is defined as the system based on the collectivization of the means of production, such as land or factories. There are two basic notions central to socialism:
- Defense of Democracy: Understood as the realization of the general will, meaning that the people directly govern.
- Search for Equality: As Rousseau argued, there is no freedom without genuine equality.
Social Democracy: Bridging Liberalism and Social Welfare
Social Democracy adopts the basic tenets of liberalism and accepts private ownership, but assigns a greater role to the intervention of the state. It gives greater importance to social aspects, aiming to protect the needy.
The Rule of Law
A state under the Rule of Law is governed by laws, not by the arbitrary will of those who command. It is not merely a legal status, but is characterized by recognized rights and guarantees for its citizens.
Two Pillars of Democratic Rule of Law States
Democratic states under the Rule of Law are founded on two essential pillars:
- The Division of Powers: This separation is a legacy of the liberal tradition.
- The Constitution: The Constitution, or Basic Law, defines the state and, first and foremost, outlines the basic scheme of the rights and freedoms of citizens.
The Totalitarian State
This notion applies to dictatorial political regimes such as Nazi Germany, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Chile under Pinochet, and Castro's Cuba.
Main Features of Totalitarian States
- Law as a Tool: Laws exist primarily for legal status but are not statements of justice and do not respect the rights of citizens.
- Single Party Rule: The state has a single party with a well-defined ideology.
- Societal Division: Society is divided into two classes: a privileged elite that exercises power, and the rest of the population.
- Absolute Social Control: The regime seeks to violently suppress dissidents and politicize every aspect of social life.
- Anti-Intellectualism: It extols sentiment and bigotry (fanaticism), and belittles rational argument.