Political spectrum

A political spectrum is a way of comparing or visualizing different political positions, by placing them upon one or more geometric axes.

Determining political spectra

The key assumption of such a spectrum is that people's views on many issues correlate strongly, or that one essential issue subsumes or dominates all others. For a political spectrum to exist, there must be range of beliefs. Political systems in which most people fall clearly into one group or another with almost no one in between, such as most nationalist controversies, are not well described by a political spectrum.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In a modern Islamic country, for instance, a political spectrum might be divided along the issue of the clergy's role in government. Those who believe clerics should have the power to enforce Islamic law are on one end of the spectrum, those who support a secular society are on the other; moderates fall at various points in between. In Taiwan, the political spectrum is defined in terms of Chinese reunification versus Taiwan independence.

Related Topics:
Islamic law - Secular - Taiwan - Chinese reunification - Taiwan independence

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Even in issues of nationalism, spectra can exist; for example, in the Basque Country of Spain, Basque nationalists range from the EAJ/PNV, who have engaged in coalition governments with both the socialist PSOE and the conservative Partido Popular, to ETA, which engage in terror tactics and armed struggle against the Spanish national government, which they view as an occupying power.

Related Topics:
Nationalism - Basque Country - Spain - EAJ/PNV - Socialist PSOE - Partido Popular - ETA

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Political spectra can end when one group wins so thoroughly that there is no longer a divergence of opinions. This occurred in the 1960s during the Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China in the case between the rightists and the leftists in which the leftists won, or in the late 18th century controversy between the Federalists and the Anti-federalists in the United States. Often in this situation the winners start disagreeing over new issues, and a new political spectrum is created. In some cases, the defeated side can re-appear after several years or several decades, and start the controversy anew.

Related Topics:
Cultural Revolution - People's Republic of China - Federalists - Anti-federalists - United States

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At other times the political spectrum remains, while the issues which define the spectrum change. The controversy over the selection of William of Orange's successor to the English throne helped to define the British political spectrum which exists to this day, long after the original controversy was resolved.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In some cases, especially in democratic countries without a "first past the post" system, multiple spectra can co-exist. For example, from its founding in 1901 to 1909, the Commonwealth of Australia had two equally strong policial spectra - Free Trade vs. Protectionism and Workers vs. Bosses (Liberals). However, by 1909 the first continuum had become irrelevent, and the two leading parties of each idea (Free Trade Party and Protectionist Party) merged to become the Liberal Party, in order to better compete with the strong workers' party (Australian Labor Party). This second continuum remained dominant in federal Australian politics until the mid-1990's.

Related Topics:
First past the post - Commonwealth of Australia - Free Trade - Protectionism - Workers - Bosses (Liberals) - Free Trade Party - Protectionist Party - Liberal Party - Australian Labor Party - Australian

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~