Ideology is a system of beliefs in which a particular group of people have about the way the government should run. These beliefs can be influenced by family, social groups, the school system, economic self interests, etc. For example, if you are raised in a religious/ conservative household, or your family is not heavily dependent on government assistance you are more likely to to also have conservative ideologies. You may be led to believe that these ideologies serve in the best interest of your religion, your moral beliefs, and family values. Some may choose to go against the grain and adopt more liberal ideologies because of influence from school and social groups, even social media. This can be viewed as an act of rebellion against your family and their beliefs. In turn this may cause one to further surround themselves with like minded people who share the same ideologies.
The main difference between conservative ideologies and liberal ideologies is how heavily the government is involved in each. Conservatives prefer to have little government involvement as possible. Conservatives value liberty and view more government involvement as a threat to liberty. They also prefer less government spending which means lower taxes but they prioritize a strong defense, religion and allowing the government to have a role in the social and personal aspects of people’s lives. Liberals value equality, and believe more government involvement is necessary in promoting equality. Liberals support government intervention in the economy like regulation of big businesses and higher taxes in order to support the underprivileged. They believe that the defense budget should be cut to be able to fund social programs.
Althusser believes that ideology is internalized by everyone and that there are systems set in place to give the illusion of freedom of choice. Repressive apparatus imposes fear in order to keep people in line, this includes the police, jail, death and war. And Ideological apparatus always justifies the existing conditions of today’s society. It is usually justified by religion, race and economic status. Althusser also believes that one of the biggest systems of control is the school system. School is mandatory, and children spend most of their week in school. This is set up so that they can internalize ideologies, and to gain social and economic order.
