Ideologies - SS30
Key Issue: To what extent should we embrace an ideology?
Related Issue 1
To what extent should ideology be the foundation of identity?
Issue-1terms-ss30 and Alberta Learning Curriculum for Social 30-1 and 30-2.
Good link for world rankings can be found here.
This 11 minute video will focus and review the primary thinkers of the Enlightenment.
Video will explain the history and tenants of the concepts described and is longer but has a lot of depth. This one may assist as well for a deeper understanding.
This next video uses two styles of dancing to explain the differences between individualism and collectivism. For more depth, view this one or this one.
This video, highlights the differences in thoughts about class liberal thought (A. Smith) and socialist thought (K Marx) and their impact on the industrial revolution.
This video speaks to the origin of the Industrial Revolution and how the ideologies of the enlightenment bloomed as a result.
This video explains in more detail the ‘isms’ of the 19th Century. We still live, directly and/or indirectly with these ideologies which impact our lives. This additional videoexplains Liberalism, socialism and nationalism well.
10 principles of Classical Liberalism. This quick no frills video describes the basic ideas of liberalism as well.
This video looks at differences between classic and modern liberalism.
Related Issue 2
To what extent is resistance to liberalism justified?
This video describes the reforms of the progressive era in the US of the early 1900’s. Another, but shorter video that is also worthwhile watching can be found here and guide you to more depth into the era.
The first link is to a 15 minute video on the New Deal from Crash Course History. A good overview with pro’s and con’s of government involvement is discussed.
This second source if from history.com a US site with more text and video based information on the New Deal.
- Hoover video review here
Good overview video debating the Classic Liberal approach to economics vs the Keynesian (Modern Liberal) approach to economics. This video will help in establishing a position as to the pro’s and con’s of government involvement in the economy.
This link will bring you to the epic battle video between Hayek (classic approach) vs Keynes (modern approach) to economics. The debate continues to rage on today.
Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were knows as the politicians that put the ideas of Hayek and Friedman supply-side or trickle down theories into effect. This video debunks this theory and it comes from a Ted Talk which latter banned the video. Supply-side economics via Friedman can be found here. If you want more depth, look at this Chomsky video discussing how the middle/working classes have seen a decline under deliberate Republican policies. The interview took place in 2023 and can be found here.
The following animated video was produced by the teachers association in California and narrated by Ed Asner…food for thought? If you want more of this type of video, try this one from MoveOn
I’m often asked what is neo-liberalism. I suggest that it is classic liberalism on steroids but a couple of short videos may help you decipher the concept for yourself. This video does a decent job but the man, Noam Chomsky, does it more thoroughly here.
Two similar video’s showing the distribution of wealth in Canada and the US.
Is Liberalism living up to it’s promises?
A primer on Wealth Inequality with Professor Reich (33 minutes) Video
I like this video on the differences between capitalism, socialism and communism. I don’t agree of how the division of socialism and communism is explained but it sorta works.
In this short article, you can read about the major differences between socialism, communism and capitalism.
Short video on the ideas of Karl Marx. Good introduction to his ideas but there is of course a lot more out there.
Another short video, that deals with the differences between communism and utopian socialism (kinda cute, you’ll see).
If you want more types of socialism, check out this link but their chart is not accurate but the brief descriptions are pretty good.
What is Anarchism? This is a concept that is misconstrued a lot. Check out this video for clarification.
A very brief comparison between Lenin and Stalin. Both were indeed Bolshevik’s but they had ‘different’ styles indeed. To further explain differences, check out this videothat claims to provide a complete history of the Soviet Union arranged by a Melody of Tetris.
Who was worse, Hitler or Stalin? This link to an article gives you a brief sense of this but how do you compare two evils…difficult question.
Similarities and differences between Fascist and Communist Dictatorships. Quilet with audio to describe contrasts and similarities.
Mussolini and Hitler and how they rise. Decent video to watch
36 images of the Holocaust. Hitler’s legacy of terror, touch to look at but we must remember why Dictatorships of any type are awful period.
I found this video to be quite moving. First Nations issues are ignored, it is time to provide focus on them.
The impact on the U.S. constitution by the Native People.
The Lubicon Cree from northern Alberta have suffered as a result of progress…is it cultural genocide? Amnesty International has taken up their cause. This five minute video (longer one is available as well) will briefly tell of the plight of the Lubicon Cree.
This video on Understanding Aboriginal Identity is a great starting point in developing empathy for FNMI people’s.
The following web site on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada is a good source of information pertaining to residential schools. Great links as well are found within the web site as to connecting with different Aboriginal groups.
A starting point for addressing First Nations problems. This articlespeaks to 5 Indigenous Issues that we should care about.
Related Issue 3
To what extent are the principles of liberalism viable?
List of terms/concepts for this unit. Mostly political and includes the cold war as well.
The short article from this link provides you with a brief overview of political ideas of the enlightenment.
This next video will highlight some of the forms of government we use to makes decisions. More on the types of government that are used here at home and around the world. And, one more video in case you want more on forms of government.
First a short video on how our government works. This will be followed by how the US is governed. There are two video’s on how the US government works.
Both are good and worth watching.
First one is here. The other one can be found here.
This graphic illustrates the differences between left and right in the United States.
Illiberalism is a concept you need to understand. Here is a brief article on the concept. For a quick pro and con of Neo-liberalism, check out this short video.
Fareed Zakaria is a political analyst for CNN and he offers a brief explanation on illiberalism. For a deeper dive into Illiberalism watch this 27 minute video.
After reading the following short article and then viewing this short video on the subject of Japanese internment during world war 2, ask yourself i you think the treatment of the Japanese was illiberal?
Students often hear the term Neo-Liberalism and are not sure what it means. The easiest explanation I can offer is, ‘Classical Liberalism on Steroids’. For a short video that does a good job on this topic click here. For a deeper sense of neo-liberalism and it’s effects, check out Noam Chomsky’s video here.
Fairvote Canada provides a wealth of information on alternative voting systems. Proportional representation is explained. As well, to go along with this site, look into the wasted votes site for more information on why alternative voting systems are being discussed.
Check out this article on the FLQ crises. Then view this short videoand ask yourself if Trudeau went too far?
How does Martin Luther King‘s views on civil disobedience go against liberalism as we know it?
The Lubicon Cree in northern Alberta has had their sovereignty taken from them due to the need to find and exploit resources and to this day no settlement has been reached but this video will bring out the issues that most native tribes face. In another film, free from the National Film Board, is Uranium. The video focuses on what mining does and it’s effects on First Nations.
I’ll start off with a sarcastic shot video entiled Fascism is Fun…tongue and cheek of course but provides a flavor on authoritarian systems.
Some people call fascists and communist theory similar ideologies but that is inaccurate. They have used used similar tactics to keep control but that is where there similarities end. This videowill provide more on the differences between communist and fascist theory and practice.
The following article compares communism and fascism and worth the look I believe.
Stalin is know as the most dictatorial leader in the history of the USSR. You can look at his most important policies in brief here.
This site has a lot of information on Stalin. Look at the short 5 minute video named Fast Facts for a sense of Stalin.
For a view on how communism was not Marxist in nature click here. Chomsky sets the record straight on communism and how it was perverted in Russia/USSR. More from Chomsky on socialism here.
I have began the Cold War with a set of terms/concepts to go along with it and can be found Cold War Terms.
Crash course videos are great over view sources and I have put a link to the Cold War crash course here.
Really a kitchen sink type of resource. You just click on the period, 40s, 50’s etc and you’ll get a short useful description of the event. For a year to year timeline check this one out, very extensive. Be sure to check with your teacher what to focus on.
This source contains a lot of videosegments of particular events.
The following is the first segment in a series of videos for those who want more details on the Cold War. This segment sets up the Cold War where the next one sets up Containment and so on…enjoy.
Finally, another review video on the Cold War for those who want another overview of the Cold war.
This is the definition of detente’.
Brief description of detente’ and major events of this period can be found here.
For arms control treaties this sitewill provide some some good basic information. This site also has information on nuclear powers, numbers of nukes and more. Focus on detente’ timeline of arms control deals for course purposes.
Part of a Cold War series, this part (9) focuses on the decreasing tension between the super powers. But this would not last, especially when Reagan became president.
Another, shorter video on Detente’ can be found here.
From Learn Alberta, this interactive spectrum is fairly thorough and worth looking at.
Know thyself, if you take this test you can see where you fit on a political spectrum.
Related Issue 4
To what extent should my actions as a citizen be shaped by an ideology?
This short article captures the main ideas of modernism vs post modernism.
These two short video explain modernism in clip 1 and post modernism in clip 2.
The above chart displays modern and post modern philosophy.
For a heavy dose of discussion on post modernism and it’s impact you can look at this video lecture but it is long.
What is extremism? This video discusses this issue while the next video focuses on what we can do about it.
What drives people to extremism? This video shines a good light on this issue.
Economic extremism. We don’t think of consumption as being extreme but when we look at the consequences of a world consumed by consuming, we need to ask ourselves what are the consequences as this article and video speaks to this issue.
The World Health Organization offers a free course on pandemics/epidemics for the 21st Century. As the course calls for us to be aware and vigilant about these events, you may want to take a peek here.
Wealth Distribution: It is at it’s most extreme level of inequality. Check out this article from Fortune Magazine that says 8 people have as much wealth as half of the population of the earth. What problems will this cause?
Of course of extreme importance, the impact of climate change that will hit the global community by the 2050’s. Will we rise to the challenge or will the earth continue to decay. This BBC report is full of short video‘s looking at impacts of climate change. I’ve included a link here to David Suzuki’s Foundation web site on climate change. This Ted Talk by Bruce Wielicki (NASA Scientist) – Climate Change: Fact And Fiction may be worth a view in discussing how to view/think about climate change.
One more Ted Talk speaks to the what the world could look like by the year 2300…and if nothing is done, pretty scary.
It is hard to imagine how our view of Liberalism impacts our own development never mind the developing nations. This Human Development Index can shed some light on this. The statistics come from the United Nations. Another source of useful information on development and worldly affairs can be found through UN TV here.
The following video looks at characteristics of developing nations. In developed nations the ‘ideas’ of Liberalism are more difficult to be realized as you examine these characteristics.
This course has us look at the idea of citizen ship and how it effects those who want to become citizens of a country. The two most common ways of becoming a citizen is through sanguine (right of blood) and jus soli (place of birth). The more controversial issue lies in naturalization or immigration as discussed in this video. The next video discusses the economic impacts and fears of immigration. The last video will discuss the positive and negative aspects of immigration.
As we near the end of this support page for the 30-1 course it discusses the role of global citizenship and responsibilities in our world. We will first look at the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine then Apartheid in South Africa.
The Orange Revolution timeline of events can be found here. Then you can watch a quick recap of the events here.
Apartheid in South Africa. Like millions around the world, I was saddened by the death of Nelson Mandela on Dec. 5, 2013. He was one of my modern day hero’s and symbol of how we can overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable. Apartheid’s story starts herewith a BBC timeline. This video will provide and overview to South Africa’s struggle with Apartheid.
Vietnam War chronology can be found here. I have linked a shorter crash course video explaining the Vietnam war here and a longer one from Khan Academy here (also note other hot spots of the Cold War). Anti-war movements sprung up all over the United States due to the unpopularity of the war and this is one of many video’s on it this theme (I’m partial to the music as heard it as a youngster.
Did we do the ‘right thing’ in being involved in the war with Afghanistan? Canada is known as a peace making and peace keeping nation but it had a military role as this link will show. This pro involvement video will suggest why we got involved in the war. This one will debate whether we should have or not.