Political Ideologies Explained
A political ideology is a set of ideas about how power, the economy and society should work. This guide compares 31 ideologies, from social democracy to libertarianism, on the same 12 axes used in the test.
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31 ideologies
- TranshumanismGreen and technologicalTranshumanism is the belief that humans should use science and technology to overcome biological limits such as aging, disease and limited intelligence.
- TheocracyAuthoritarian and theocraticA theocracy is a system of government in which religious leaders or religious law hold ultimate authority, and the state is seen as serving a divine order.
- Social DemocracySocialist and communistSocial democracy combines a market economy and democratic politics with a strong welfare state, public services and regulation, aiming to reduce inequality.
- LibertarianismLiberal and libertarianLibertarianism holds that individual liberty is the highest political value and that government should be limited to a minimal role, such as protecting people and property.
- ConservatismConservative and nationalistConservatism values tradition, stability and gradual change, favoring institutions and customs that have proved their worth over radical reform.
- Democratic SocialismSocialist and communistDemocratic socialism seeks to extend democracy into the economy, with significant public or collective ownership of key industries, while keeping free elections and civil liberties.
- Classical LiberalismLiberal and libertarianClassical liberalism defends individual liberty, limited government, the rule of law, free markets and free trade.
- National ConservatismConservative and nationalistNational conservatism emphasizes national sovereignty, cultural identity and traditional values, often with skepticism of immigration, supranational institutions and globalization.
- Anarcho-CapitalismAnarchistAnarcho-capitalism calls for abolishing the state and replacing its functions, including courts and security, with voluntary arrangements and private property in a free market.
- Anarcho-CommunismAnarchistAnarcho-communism seeks a stateless society without private property or hierarchy, in which free communities share resources according to need through voluntary cooperation.
- Anarcho-SyndicalismAnarchistAnarcho-syndicalism wants workers to organize in revolutionary trade unions, take over production through direct action and run society through federated workplace councils.
- Authoritarian CapitalismAuthoritarian and theocraticAuthoritarian capitalism, also called state capitalism, combines market economics and private business with strong state control over politics and strategic sectors.
- BioconservatismGreen and technologicalBioconservatism holds that human nature and biology should not be fundamentally altered by technology, and urges caution about genetic engineering, enhancement and life extension.
- CentrismCentrist and pragmaticCentrism favors moderate, pragmatic policies that avoid the extremes of left and right, choosing from different traditions case by case.
- Christian DemocracyConservative and nationalistChristian democracy applies Christian social teaching to politics, combining democratic government and a social market economy with traditional family and community values.
- CommunismSocialist and communistCommunism is the aim of a classless, stateless society with common ownership of the means of production, as described in the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
- CosmopolitanismLiberal and libertarianCosmopolitanism holds that all human beings belong to a single moral community, and that obligations to people do not stop at national borders.
- DistributismConservative and nationalistDistributism is an economic philosophy that favors widespread ownership of productive property, such as small farms and workshops, in place of both big capitalism and state socialism.
- FascismAuthoritarian and theocraticFascism is an authoritarian, ultranationalist ideology that emerged in early 20th-century Europe, glorifying the nation and a single leader, rejecting liberal democracy and using violence and propaganda to suppress opposition.
- GeorgismLiberal and libertarianGeorgism holds that land and natural resources belong to everyone, so the value of land should be taxed and shared while the fruits of labor and capital stay untaxed.
- Green PoliticsGreen and technologicalGreen politics puts ecological sustainability first, alongside social justice, grassroots democracy and nonviolence.
- Market SocialismSocialist and communistMarket socialism combines social or cooperative ownership of enterprises with a market for goods and services, rather than a centrally planned economy.
- Marxism–LeninismSocialist and communistMarxism–Leninism is the ideology of the 20th-century communist party states: a single vanguard party leads the state to build socialism through a planned, state-owned economy.
- MonarchismConservative and nationalistMonarchism supports a monarch as head of state, whether with real power or in a ceremonial role, as a symbol of continuity, unity and tradition.
- NeoconservatismConservative and nationalistNeoconservatism combines conservative views on social order and markets with a belief that democratic powers should actively promote their values abroad, including by force when necessary.
- NeoliberalismLiberal and libertarianNeoliberalism favors market competition, privatization, deregulation, free trade and fiscal discipline as the main drivers of prosperity.
- OrdoliberalismCentrist and pragmaticOrdoliberalism, the thinking behind Germany’s “social market economy”, holds that a free market needs strong rules and a strong state to keep competition fair.
- PaleoconservatismConservative and nationalistPaleoconservatism is a form of American conservatism that stresses tradition, nationalism and skepticism of foreign intervention, immigration and free trade.
- Social LiberalismLiberal and libertarianSocial liberalism supports individual freedom and a market economy, and holds that government should act to widen opportunity through education, health care and a safety net.
- TechnocracyGreen and technologicalTechnocracy is the idea that decisions should be made by experts with technical knowledge rather than by politicians or the public alone.
- Third WayCentrist and pragmaticThe Third Way is a centrist approach that tries to combine market economics and fiscal prudence with social justice, often described as a path between old-style socialism and free-market conservatism.
How do the ideologies compare on the 12 axes?
Each row is an ideology and each column is one axis. Blue leans toward the first pole of an axis and amber toward the second. The darker the cell, the stronger the lean.
| Ideology | FederalUnitary | DemocraticAutocratic | SecurityFreedom | NationalismInternationalism | MilitaristPacifist | AssimilationistMulticulturalist | CollectivizePrivatize | PlannedLaissez-faire | IsolationismGlobalism | IrreligiousReligious | ProgressiveTraditional | AccelerationBioconservative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democracy | 55 | 8 | 82 | 78 | 70 | 70 | 35 | 40 | 72 | 22 | 22 | 40 |
| Democratic Socialism | 50 | 8 | 80 | 75 | 72 | 72 | 18 | 22 | 60 | 18 | 18 | 38 |
| Communism | 60 | 25 | 45 | 92 | 55 | 75 | 2 | 5 | 70 | 3 | 20 | 35 |
| Marxism–Leninism | 88 | 85 | 12 | 70 | 40 | 55 | 3 | 3 | 40 | 5 | 40 | 40 |
| Market Socialism | 50 | 15 | 75 | 70 | 70 | 68 | 22 | 50 | 62 | 18 | 22 | 40 |
| Anarcho-Communism | 2 | 5 | 92 | 95 | 85 | 85 | 3 | 10 | 70 | 4 | 12 | 35 |
| Anarcho-Syndicalism | 3 | 5 | 92 | 92 | 82 | 80 | 8 | 15 | 65 | 4 | 12 | 38 |
| Anarcho-Capitalism | 2 | 10 | 98 | 70 | 75 | 62 | 98 | 99 | 95 | 22 | 32 | 30 |
| Social Liberalism | 45 | 8 | 85 | 78 | 65 | 78 | 48 | 48 | 75 | 22 | 16 | 40 |
| Classical Liberalism | 45 | 8 | 88 | 70 | 60 | 62 | 78 | 85 | 90 | 28 | 35 | 45 |
| Libertarianism | 30 | 10 | 95 | 62 | 62 | 60 | 92 | 95 | 92 | 25 | 30 | 40 |
| Neoliberalism | 55 | 12 | 70 | 65 | 50 | 62 | 85 | 88 | 95 | 28 | 38 | 45 |
| Georgism | 45 | 10 | 80 | 70 | 65 | 65 | 45 | 70 | 80 | 25 | 28 | 42 |
| Cosmopolitanism | 40 | 10 | 85 | 95 | 80 | 90 | 55 | 55 | 92 | 22 | 18 | 35 |
| Centrism | 50 | 15 | 65 | 60 | 55 | 58 | 52 | 52 | 65 | 40 | 45 | 50 |
| Third Way | 55 | 10 | 72 | 72 | 50 | 68 | 58 | 60 | 82 | 28 | 26 | 42 |
| Ordoliberalism | 30 | 8 | 75 | 70 | 62 | 55 | 55 | 58 | 80 | 35 | 35 | 55 |
| Conservatism | 55 | 12 | 62 | 40 | 38 | 38 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 52 | 72 | 60 |
| Christian Democracy | 45 | 10 | 68 | 60 | 60 | 45 | 48 | 52 | 70 | 72 | 70 | 65 |
| National Conservatism | 75 | 30 | 45 | 12 | 30 | 18 | 52 | 45 | 32 | 60 | 82 | 62 |
| Neoconservatism | 65 | 15 | 55 | 38 | 12 | 40 | 68 | 65 | 65 | 50 | 60 | 52 |
| Paleoconservatism | 50 | 22 | 55 | 10 | 50 | 15 | 60 | 60 | 22 | 65 | 85 | 65 |
| Distributism | 20 | 15 | 70 | 50 | 62 | 50 | 25 | 38 | 40 | 75 | 65 | 62 |
| Monarchism | 70 | 65 | 45 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 55 | 50 | 50 | 72 | 88 | 62 |
| Green Politics | 40 | 8 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 72 | 30 | 35 | 45 | 25 | 18 | 70 |
| Transhumanism | 50 | 15 | 88 | 78 | 70 | 75 | 60 | 60 | 80 | 8 | 12 | 3 |
| Technocracy | 70 | 62 | 45 | 60 | 55 | 60 | 50 | 28 | 70 | 10 | 25 | 15 |
| Bioconservatism | 50 | 20 | 70 | 55 | 60 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 65 | 98 |
| Theocracy | 85 | 92 | 15 | 22 | 35 | 15 | 40 | 38 | 35 | 98 | 95 | 72 |
| Fascism | 97 | 97 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 38 | 12 | 8 | 45 | 90 | 45 |
| Authoritarian Capitalism | 88 | 88 | 12 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 40 | 38 | 50 | 25 | 62 | 38 |
What are the main families of political ideology?
Seven groupings to help you browse. In practice many ideologies sit in more than one family.
Socialist and communist
5 ideologiesTraditions that want the economy to serve the many through public or collective ownership or strong redistribution.
Liberal and libertarian
6 ideologiesTraditions built around individual liberty, from the welfare-minded to the minimal-state.
Centrist and pragmatic
3 ideologiesApproaches that blend markets and social protection and avoid ideological extremes.
Conservative and nationalist
7 ideologiesTraditions that value continuity, institutions, community and often the nation.
Green and technological
4 ideologiesMovements defined by their view of ecology, expertise and technology.
Anarchist
3 ideologiesTraditions that want to replace the state with voluntary cooperation, from the collectivist to the free-market.
Authoritarian and theocratic
3 ideologiesSystems in which power is concentrated in a party, a leader, or religious authority.
How were these profiles made?
Each profile is an editorial estimate of where the tradition typically sits on the same twelve axes as your result.
Prototypes, not people
A profile describes the classic version of an ideology. Real parties and thinkers vary a lot inside every label.
Estimates, not facts
The numbers are informed judgments for comparison and discussion. They are not survey data and not a ruling on what anyone believes.
The same scale as your result
Because they use the same twelve axes, your scores can be compared with any ideology directly.
Frequently asked questions
A political ideology is a connected set of beliefs about how society, the economy and government should be organized. It gives people a shared vocabulary for what they want and why.
There is no fixed number, because ideologies overlap, split and merge over time. This guide covers many of the best-known traditions and groups them into seven families.
Left and right is a shortcut that mixes several questions. Economically, the left usually favors more public ownership and redistribution, and the right more private ownership and open markets. Socially, the left usually favors faster change and the right more tradition. The 12 axes measure each question separately, so someone can be left on one and right on another.
Yes. Most people mix ideas from several traditions, which is why the test ranks every ideology by how well it matches you instead of giving you a single label.
A match shows how similar your twelve scores are to the typical profile of an ideology. It is a good starting point for reading about a tradition, not a verdict on who you are.
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