Politics UK

Eleventh Edition

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Chapter 6

Political ideas: Identities and political fringes

Chapter Summary

Chapter 6 explores key political themes and movements in British and international politics, focusing on three main areas: national identity, environmentalism, and fringe political movements.

Nationalism emerged in the nineteenth century and, while it is now contested by internationalism, still retains much of its destructive force. Green thinking applies environmentalism to politics, calling for a revolutionary change in the way developed societies live. Far-left fringe groups tend to draw on the ideas of Marx and Trotsky; their relevance has declined since the anti-communist revolutions, but many followers still keep up the struggle, seeking to enter the ranks of the Labour Party in an attempt to influence its policies. Far-right groups tend to be neo-fascist and racialist; their support is small but their influence subversive. The Brexit vote in June 2016 caused huge political turbulence which will in-fluence the whole gamut of political ideas, for decades to come.

Learning Objectives

  •  To explain and put into context the themes of national identity, racism and environmentalism.
  • To explain the intellectual source of ideas characterising the political fringes.
  • To identify, analyse and elucidate the political fringe on the far left and far right.
  • To explain how politics is the ‘art of the possible’. 

Quizzes

Test your knowledge with the Chapter 6 quizzes!

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Discussion Questions

  1. People from all countries have some sense of who they are, where they come from, and what they believe in, which forms they national identity. In the case of ‘The British’, how has this sense of national identity evolved from the days of The Empire to the modern post-Brexit period?
  2. The ecological perspective rejects all political philosophies of the left and right-wings as ‘collectively industrialist’. If this is the case, why then do most Green parties (both in the UK and around the world) become associated with the left-wing?

 Anti-Nazi League – A campaign organization opposing far-right extremism. (www.anl.org.uk/campaigns.html)

Green Party – The official website of the UK’s Green Party, advocating for environmental policies and social justice. (www.greenparty.org.uk)

National Democrats – A political group with nationalist and right-wing views. (www.netlink.co.uk/users/natdems/)

Searchlight Magazine – A publication exposing far-right movements. (www.searchlightmagazine.com/default.asp)

Socialist Alliance – A coalition of socialist groups advocating left-wing policies. (www.socialistalliance.net)

Socialist Workers’ Party – A Trotskyist political party promoting socialist revolution. (www.swp.org.uk)

Workers’ Revolutionary Party – A Marxist political party emphasizing class struggle. (www.wrp.org.uk)

Women’s Resource Centre – A network supporting women’s rights organizations. (www.wrc.org.uk)

Flashcards

Refresh your knowledge of key terms with this chapter’s flashcards.

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Timeline

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