Page 14 - CAPE Caribbean Studies Study Guide Sample_Neat

2.3 Political ideologies and popular movements

Learning outcomes The poltiical ideology of a government will impact on:

■ The form of government, and the way in which it manages relationships
On completion of this section you and conflicts.
should be able to:
■ The chosen economic system, as well as the use of resources to earn money
■ assess the impacts of political and trade internationally.
ideologies on development

■ identify the impact of popular Capitalism or socialism/Marxism
movements on development.
Capitalism is an economic system characterised by private ownership. The
distribution of goods, investments, prices and production are determined
Did you know? by competition in a free market and there is little or no government
intervention. The capitalist ideology focuses on the roles of demand and
An ideology is a collection of ideas supply of products in determining prices and the expected quantities that are
that relate to economic, political to be placed on the market.
and social thought. Typically, each Marxism is an ideology developed by Karl Marx that advocates that the
ideology contains certain ideas on proletariat should revolt against the bourgeoisie. It was based on his
forms of government and economic observations that society is divided by social class, and the bourgeoisie (the
systems (e.g. capitalism, socialism). businessmen) exploit the proletariat for their labour. Marx was a major advocate
A political ideology largely concerns for communism, in which class wars between bourgeoisie and proletariat would
itself with how to allocate power and eventually lead to a classless society. Land and resources would be held by
to what ends it should be used. everyone. All means of production and distribution is controlled by the state.
Examples of countries following this system are Cuba and China.
How capitalism promotes development

Capitalism encourages the use of technology to boost production levels and
KEY TERMS increase efficiency. Businesses may reduce the amount of wasted resources.
As firms compete, consumers have a variety of goods and services at cheaper
Proletariat: the Marxist prices and benefit from price wars between businesses.
term defining the individuals
Capitalism promotes free trade, which allows easier movement of labour and
who do not own the means
capital. Promotion of free trade allows businesses to set up, providing goods
of production, but sell their
and services and generating employment. Most countries in the Caribbean
labour for low wages and face
are democratic in nature, although their constitutional arrangements vary
exploitation by the bourgeoisie.
wildly and are usually influenced by the systems of their former colonisers.
Bourgeoisie: the Marxist term One exception is Cuba, which was established as a communist state in 1959.
defining the individuals in How capitalism hinders development
society who own the means
of production and control the There can be high levels of pollution as businesses are unregulated by the state.
economic wealth of an economy. Many businesses are engaged in capital-intensive production, and use machines
rather than human labour, which may increase levels of unemployment.
Capital-intensive production:
the use of technology in Free trade can lead to dumping of cheap, generic products in the
production in an attempt to region. Furthermore, local businesses cannot compete with large foreign
boost output and improve internationals.
efficiency.
How socialism/Marxism promotes development
Revenue generated remains within the country since it is controlled by the state.
It can be used to make capital investments such as schools and hospitals and the
development of infrastructure. In a socialist society, citizens’ needs are addressed
and social class is eradicated. This removes social stratification; everyone enjoys

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