Ideological Differences in Modern Democratic Countries
Delving into Politics
By Lawrence Okechukwu Emeagwali
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Introduction No doubt that modern democratic countries of the world have ideologies which
historically evolved from the main ideological thoughts such as Communism,
Liberalism and Conservatism developed over many centuries ago. However it can be
observed that modern democratic societies have recently tended towards the
acceptance of certain fundamental foundational beliefs of each of these founding
ideologies. Thus, differences still exist in the ideologies found in modern democratic
countries.
It’s in light of this that I pose and seek to answer the following research question:
Are there any meaningful differences in the ideologies found in modern
democratic countries?
Before we go any further I would like to note here that modern democratic countries
can in my opinion be classified into developed modern democracies and developing
modern democracies. Understanding this classification is vital in my reasoning, to
understanding the differences to be discussed in the body of this research work. Also
it is important to use this medium to also shed more light on the form of differences
which may exist, and these includes
• Ideological differences within developed democratic countries.
• Ideological differences between or among two or more developed democratic
countries.
• Ideological differences within particular ideological groups within a country or
among countries.
Lawrence O. Emeagwali [email protected] http://strategy‐lawrence.blogspot.com
• Ideological difference within and among developing countries.
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Difference in the Ideologies found in Modern Democratic Countries
*Ideological differences within a Modern Developed Democratic Country
Modern developed democracies such as the USA and Canada, and indeed most of
North America, have very few ideological divisions when it comes to such clear cut
standing on Liberalism, conservatism or communalism. However certain ideological
differences still exist which have their roots in the original forms of the three main
ideologies stated before. According to Richard Sigurdson, examples of these
differences include the ideology of nationalism, populism, environmentalism, and
feminism. Due to time and page constraints I will discuss a little more on feminism
as an ideological difference within a modern developed democratic country
Lawrence O. Emeagwali [email protected] http://strategy‐lawrence.blogspot.com
Feminism: According to Richard Sigurdson, Feminism is that ideology which have
progressed over time and is now prevalent and which concerns itself as its name
implies, with effecting a change in the situation of male dominance still present to an
extent in developed democracies. Sigurdson also noted that feminism is an ideology
which not only supports the uplifting of women, but also concerns itself with the
equality of the sexes. Feminist such as Kathleen Lahey, decry the inferior treatment
of women of any kind. In her article titled On Silence, Screams and Scholarship
Lahey decried the historic legal subjugation of women from the time of the ancient
Mesopotamian law called the Urukagina’s Code enacted in 2415 B.C.E, believed to
be one of the first laws ever enacted and which subjugated the right of women to
speak their minds or give their views; to the present modern, subtle, written and
unwritten laws which still prevents women in certain developed democracies from
acquiring an equal 50% split in family assets after a divorce and which seek to subtly
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suppress the equal treatment of women as their male counterparts in such areas as
equality of wages, equal right to certain political and social positions and etc.
*Ideological Differences between or among two or more Developed Democratic
Countries
Ideological differences may also exist among developed democratic countries of the
world. Although these countries believe in the ideology of democracy, one country
may have an inclination towards a certain type of ideology than another. For
example comparing the United States and Canada, it is easy to see that although
both are developed democracies, like all modern developed democracies, and have
ideological groups which despite their differences, still reach out across ideologies,
to accept and share certain ideological fundamentals; still the prominence of certain
ideological groups differ in both countries. Andrew Heard lends credence to this fact
when he revealed that social democracy a modern variant of the communist ideology
founded by Carl Marx was more prevalent and prominent in Canada as opposed to
the US.
*Ideological differences within particular ideological groups within or among
developed democratic countries
Lawrence O. Emeagwali [email protected] http://strategy‐lawrence.blogspot.com
Other ideological differences exist among members of the same ideological group in
a particular country or among different countries. Andrew Heard also elaborated on
this when he highlighted the difference between the prominence and prevalence of
Populism among Canadian and US Neo-Conservatives. He stressed that Populism
which is a significant variant of classical conservatism, rejects the elitist views of its
founding ideology and finds a larger followership among Canadian Neo-
Conservatives than their American counterparts.
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*Ideological differences within and among developing countries
In their work titled Political Culture and Democracy in Developing Countries, Gabriel
Almond and Larry Diamond revealed that the differences in the ideologies prevalent
in and among developing democratic nations, is hinged not necessarily on the
differences or affiliation to the three traditional ideologies mentioned earlier, but is
shaped rather by the dominant beliefs, values and attitude towards socio-political
environment. True many developing countries have embraced democracy and have
adopted a combination of the three traditional political ideologies, yet the extent to
which these traditional ideologies have been adopted have been dependent and in
some areas limited by the cultural, societal and religious belief system of these
developing countries. For example, many African countries especially in the west
and south of Africa, have embraced democracy for many decades now, but still
feministic ideologies are yet to be as profound as in developed democracies. And the
issue of discrimination in the equal splitting of family property upon divorce which
Kathleen Lahey complained about in her article, is heavily prevalent, in most of these
developing countries, the woman doesn’t even have the privilege of parting with any
family asset, talk less of a 50% share. These ideological differences according to
Gabriel Almond and Larry Diamond stem from the resistance of such developing
nations to what they see as overtly western influences. While recognizing the
benefits of democracy, these countries have sought to customize their adoption of
this way of governance, by crafting and tailoring it according to their historical,
cultural and value ideologies.
Lawrence O. Emeagwali [email protected] http://strategy‐lawrence.blogspot.com
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Conclusion
Although the ideologies currently prevalent in most modern democratic countries of
the world today are based to a large extent on the three different traditional and
fundamental ideologies of Liberalism, Conservatism and Communism; they have
evolved into ideologies which reach out across all three ideologies combining and
building a foundation in most of the fundamental similarities they share. However,
just as there are similarities there are also differences, which can be observed in the
ideological environment of a particular modern democratic country, as well as the
ideological environment among modern democratic countries. True all of them are
modern democracies, but the prominence of certain ideologies; differ from country to
country, with the developing democratic countries maintaining ideologies which have
strong roots in their traditional culture and belief systems. These differences in
ideologies are fundamental in helping us understand our societies and their position
in the global scheme of things as well as enabling us to become active players in
shaping the ideological actions necessary for the betterment of our societies and the
world at large.
Lawrence O. Emeagwali [email protected] http://strategy‐lawrence.blogspot.com
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Lawrence O. Emeagwali [email protected] http://strategy‐lawrence.blogspot.com
References
Almond, Gabriel & Diamond, Larry. Political Culture and Democracy in Developing Countries. USA: Lynne Rienner Publishers Inc., 1993 Heard, Andrew. “Ideologies” In Introduction to Politics and Government POL 101W-3 Study Guide, 31-46. Vancouver: Center for Online and Distance Education- Simon Fraser University, 2010. Lahey, Kathleen. “On Silence, Screams and Scholarship” In Introduction to Politics and Government POL 101W-3 Course Reader, 31-46. Vancouver: Center for Online and Distance Education- Simon Fraser University, 2010. Sigurdson, Richard. “Thinking About Politics: Ideas, Philosophies, and Ideologies” In Studying Politics: An Introduction to Political science, 146-148. Ontario: Nelson Education Ltd., 2009.