Political Values: Types and Examples

The political values they are the values ​​that each person has, which help to understand the policy in one way or another. According to this concept, a political value is what makes a particular person support a specific ideology. This concept has been modified throughout recent history by the emergence of new ideas.

The approaches of Harold Lasswell and the Communist Manifesto Marx's are two factors closely related to what politics is and how it is perceived. The way in which a citizen perceives politics is closely linked to the way in which he values ​​it.

These political values ​​are developed in the family and social environment in which the person is raised. It is from these values ​​that the ideas of left, center-left, right, among others, are generated.

Types

Freedom

Freedom is an inherent value of most democratic societies worldwide. Its political origin comes from antiquity, when slavery was common in the world. In societies like the Greek, freedom consisted in"not having a master".

In modernity, freedom is related to the values ​​of tolerance and equality. The political perception of a human being is linked to the ability to be free, to be able to make their own decisions and to be able to develop their daily life without the intervention of third parties.

From this value other concepts have been developed such as the theory of the social contract, proposed by Rousseau, Locke and Hobbes. This theory drew a clear line between what a person is free to do by right and what is not free to do for social reasons.

Sovereignty

Sovereignty is the ability of a nation to act independently. In turn, there are several types of sovereignty. The way in which a citizen perceives the sovereignty of his country generates a value that represents the mode of government.

The countries where sovereignty falls on the people are often considered democratic and the perception of this value tends to be positive. In contrast, in nations where the government exercises controls and ignores popular opinion, people generate a negative value and their political vision is affected based on this.

Security

There are several ways to appreciate the value of security, but in terms of political value, it usually encompasses all the aspects that make a person feel safe where he lives. This includes the perception of being protected from all danger or from causes that may be harmful to an individual.

This value refers mainly to external forces that may interfere with the safety of a person. Generally, in insecure societies people tend to favor political conditions that exert controls. These can be economic or civil, depending on the type of insecurity that exists in the country.

Equality

In political terms, the value of equality is perceived as a condition in which all people have the same access and the same possibilities to the most important areas of a society. This encompasses freedom of expression, civil rights and the right to property.

This concept also includes economic equality and equal access to health. How individuals perceive this value depends on the amount of limitations that exist in the country, as well as how pronounced is the difference in benefits between social classes.

This concept can generate a political opinion favorable to leftist ideas such as socialism or communism, depending on how it is conceived.

Wealth

Although the concept of wealth is closely linked to the economy, it can serve to give an individual political idea, depending on the amount of wealth it possesses. If it is difficult for an individual to access money, he or she may begin to formulate more egalitarian ideas in political terms.

The wealth capacity of a nation can also influence how its citizens perceive the value of wealth. In a broader scope, wealth includes general possessions such as lands, forests, territorial extension, access to natural resources, and so on.

Examples

The political values ​​of each individual give rise to their particular political beliefs. Based on these, individuals tend to support a political party that is more related to their own values ​​and has ideas that advocate their benefits.

Left and right

The political ideas of each person can be divided into two styles of beliefs: the left and the right. The term"central"has also been coined to refer to those political ideas that militate between both beliefs.

The left encompasses all beliefs that seek to eliminate the hierarchy in societies. Usually the left is associated with ideas that seek to reform the democratic system and tend more towards socialism and communism.

The left is also associated with the anti-war values ​​and the movements of civil rights and social freedoms that arise in the world.

On the other hand, the right seeks the maintenance of order in society, supporting the hierarchy of its members by claiming that this order is inevitable for the proper functioning of a country.

Many less favored people in the social spectrum tend to support leftist movements, since right-wing politics often generates social gaps and lack of equality among its members. This occurs as an inevitable consequence of the creation of a social hierarchy.

Liberalism and authoritarianism

These two political visions are closely related to how the value of freedom in a society is perceived. In societies in which the individual rights of each person seek to support a collective goal before the benefits of each civilian, they are usually seen as authoritative.

On the other hand, liberalism opposes the rule of the State in the political sphere and supports the value of the sovereignty of the people. In liberal beliefs, the power of a political system lies primarily in the decisions of the people.

References

1. Facts and Values ​​in Politics, Felix Oppenheim, February 1, 1973. Taken from sagepub.com
2. Role of Values ​​in Political Science: Study of Values, Political Science Website, (n.d.). Taken from politicalsciencenotes.com
3. Left Wing vs. Right Wing, Diffen, (n.d.). Taken from diffen.com
4. Public Opinion, Lumen Learning Website, (n.d.). Taken from lumenlearning.com
5. Political Values, Eumer Virtual Encyclopedia, (n.d.). Taken from eumed.net
6. Politics section of Political Values, Wikipedia en Español, April 16, 2018. Taken from wikipedia.org
7. What is Liberty?, Lebertarianism Website, February 24, 2012. Taken from libertarianism.com
8. Security, Wikipedia en Español, April 12, 2018. Taken from wikipedia.org
9. What is Sovereignty, J. Williams, (n.d.). Taken from study.com
10. Social Equality, Wikipedia en Español, April 17, 2018. Taken from wikipedia.org
11. Wealth, Wikipedia en Español, April 2, 2018. Taken from wikipedia.org