1. Government The Political Spectrum
and Politics

2. Freedom and Equality
Freedom:
• The belief that the rights of each individual in
society are of primary importance
Equality:
• The belief that all individuals in a society should
be treated in the same way

3. Freedom and Equality
• Governments attempt to balance
freedom and equality
• Political ideologies have different
beliefs regarding the importance of Freedom
freedom and equality
Equality

4. The Political Spectrum
• A political spectrum is a way of visualizing different
political positions
• It does this by placing them upon one or more
geometric axes symbolizing political dimensions

5. The Political Spectrum
• The centre of the political spectrum is associated
with democratic forms of government
• The extreme ends of the line on both the right and
the left are forms of totalitarianism

6. The Political Spectrum
Left Center Right
Liberal Moderate Conservative
Radical Radical

7. Left - Right
• Terms originated in the National Assembly in France
(1789–91): nobles sat to the president's right, and
the commons to the left
• Left = Liberal
• Right = Conservative

8. Democracy
• Direct democracy, where all citizens participate in
government, originated with the ancient Greeks
• In Canada, we practice indirect democracy through
elected representatives
• In a democracy the state exists to serve the citizen

9. Totalitarianism
• Totalitarian forms of government are found at the
extreme ends of the political spectrum on both the
right and the left
• The state exercises total control
• In a totalitarian regime the individual exists to serve
the state

10. The Political Spectrum
Totalitarian Democratic Totalitarian
Liberal Moderate Conservative
Radical Radical

11. The Political Spectrum
Totalitarian
Communism Facism
Conservatism
Liberal Liberalism Conservative
Socialism
Democratic

12. The Political Spectrum