Stephen Rockford Political Ideology Analysis

Stephen Rockford In class, we discussed a wide variety of political ideologies, belief systems rooted in a set of principles that influence how government and society should be arranged. These ideologies range from classical liberalism to fascism to libertarianism, and much more in between. The extensive list of ideologies can make it difficult to objectively determine what political ideology someone is a follower of, including one's own personal ideology. Although I have considered myself to be a modern liberal for years, that may not actually be the ideology that is closest to my personal beliefs, as popular culture has skewed the true identifying marks of many mainstream political ideologies, such as modern conservatism, socialism, communism,

Socialism contains a wide array of economic and social structures that are all generally defined by several core concepts. Stemming from the beliefs of Karl Marx, socialists value community control over the means of production, as well as free access to goods and services such as health care, education, employment, and many others. Most modern socialist states achieve this through strict regulation of the economy, as well as high taxation. The socialist model works by having every member of a community contribute to production, and having that production directly benefit everyone, cutting out profit entirely, as the only things produced are those that are necessary. I do not classify myself as a socialist, however, I do believe in many of the things that socialism proposes, in particular, the vast social freedoms and opportunities available through socialism. I do not, however, agree with the economic plan of socialism, as I feel that the model does not give enough incentive to innovate. Additionally, government control over the economy does not make the system infallible, as governments do not always make the right

Communism is an ideology that takes the basic ideas of socialism, community control over the means of production, and goes even further, removing the concept of private property entirely, with everything being the shared property of the community. In Marx's theoretical perfect communism, common ownership would eventually lead to a society without social classes or wealth, with all economic production and distribution regulated by an economic plan supposedly embodying the interests of the community. Despite this, communist governments have historically been totalitarian regimes, in which the state controls all aspects of society. Communism is one of the political ideologies that I agree with the least, as I find it to be completely unfeasible. Modern liberalism is the ideology that I generally refer to as my own personal ideology. Modern liberalism directly opposes modern conservatism economically, favoring government intervention and regulation of the economy to promote social