A political party and political ideology are two wholly different things. One refers to a group of people that acquire and exercise power. On the other hand, an ideology means belief, values, doing something of public interest, etc.
Political Party vs Political Ideology
The difference between a Political party and Political ideology is that a political party is created to win elections and operate the government and a political ideology is trying to work a different set of ideas through a different angle to give a fair view of how the society should be.
A political party can be described as a group of people who came forward together to elect candidates for election, win the election and then operate the government. Every country has an operating political party with different characteristics but with the same goal.
A political ideology consists of many things such as – values, opinions, beliefs, justification, etc. It will offer you a different perspective and diverse political ideas.
Comparison Table Between Political Party and Political Ideology (in Tabular Form)
| Parameter of Comparison | Political party | Political ideology |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | The main goal of every political party is to win an election. | In this case, it is all about showing a fresh perspective regarding how a society can be better. |
| Persuasion | Political party members will try to persuade people to get votes, so they get re-elected and remain in the position. | Political ideology will go with socialism, which means satisfying human needs directly by providing them goods and stuff. |
| Nature | When a political party comes into power and position, they make a strategy as to how to operate and run the government. | Political ideologies will make policies, on the other hand, for the public to promote collective goods and stuff. |
| Strategy | Political parties need the majority of seats to win an election. If unable to do so, they make allies to hold the majority of seats to form a government. | In this case, the main strategy is to make the soceity better using different ways. |
What is Political Party?
A political party can be described as an organization or group of people who come together, so they win the election and form the government. They need to win the majority of seats in the parliament to form a government. If they failed to do so, they ally with others sometimes.
Political parties usually help to process government policies, work, etc. Since they form the government, they indulge themselves in the progress of the state or country.
Like every other thing, political parties also have some key characteristics that we all notices –
- They persuade people to vote for them so that they can form the government.
- It mainly refers to a group of people who are working towards common goals.
- Seek majority of the seats in the parliament, else allies.
- While in power as government, they try to fulfil their duties and work that is needed to be done.
Political parties will work together and create new laws, policies for the betterment. There are quite a handful of political parties in every state/country that wants the power of leadership to govern a state or country.
Every political party in power must acknowledge their power responsibly and conduct the necessary business accordingly. The opposition parties are always watching over them, a minor mistake of the rulling party would help the opposition to gain votes.
What is Political Ideology?
Political ideology is a system of definite views, a different set of ideas, conceptions, perceptions by a political party.
Political ideology consists of a few sets of different ethical ideas and principles, some of which are – Socialism, Communism, Conservatism, etc.
In simple words, political ideology would be described as how one governing body should distribute/allocate the power and how properly it must be used.
In the modern era, political ideology is all about a “set of beliefs about the proper order of society and how it can be achieved.” There are few different sets of rules that are included in political ideology, and those are –
- Liberalism is a political ideology, which means the society that we live in is characterized by freedom of thought and expression.
- Socialism is another ideology, that refers to a theory. It says any property or natural resources should own by the community and not any individuals.
- Communism is the next one, which is almost similar to socialism, with a few minor changes. It states the governing body should own any kind of factors of production that is labor, goods, natural resources, etc.
Main Differences Between Political Party and Political Ideology
- Based on one, the government body functions, and the other one is a set of beliefs.
- One requires to persuade people, whereas the other one does not require such things.
- Political parties need the maximum number of seats to win, whereas ideology works with a strategy to make lives better.
- The nature and work of both these political parties and ideology are different from each other.
Conclusion
Political ideology exists within us to organize a society within an economical and political structure accurately. Political parties, on the other hand, is related to a completely different set of works. One can make a distinction from a political thought from political ideology. Both of these things are different for each other, yet are very connected to each other.
You get to see different types of political parties and political ideologies existing in the same society. Also, they are needed for the betterment of our community in the long run. The growth of these organizations have become very large, and the role they play in present times is also essential.
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