Reassessing Political Ideologies

This book is a high-level examination of each of the major ideologies that have shaped political thinking, action and conflict. Each chapter provides a critical overview of the current state of the major ideologies and a retrospective assessment of the strengths, weaknesses, developments and transformations of these ideologies over the past century. The volume poses a strong challenge to those who have loudly proclaimed the "end of ideology", by demonstrating that it is impossible to understand current political developments without an appreciation of their ideological context. It features internationally respected contributors who are authorities in their fields, and will be an invaluable resource for both students and specialists in areas including Politics and International Relations.

Michael Freeden is Professor of Politics at the University of Oxford and Professorial Fellow, Mansfield College, Oxford. He is the author of a number of books including The New Liberalism, Liberalism Divided, Rights, and Ideologies and Political Theory. He is the founding editor of the Journal of Political Ideologies, published by Taylor & Francis Ltd under the Routledge imprint.

Chapter 1 Political ideologies in substance and method, Michael Freeden; Chapter 2 Ideological dominance through philosophical confusion, Gerald F. Gaus; Chapter 3 Did ideology fall with 'the wall'?, Terrell Carver; Chapter 4 Socialism in the twentieth century, Donald Sassoon; Chapter 5 The doing of conservatism, Robert Eccleshall; Chapter 6, Paolo Pombeni; Chapter 7 Fascism, Zeev Sternhell; Chapter 8 Interregnum or endgame?, Roger Griffin; Chapter 9 Power and vacuity, Andrew Vincent; Chapter 10 Threads and plaits or an unfinished project?, Diana Coole; Chapter 11 Green political perspectives at the dawn of the twenty-first century, James Meadowcroft; Chapter 12 Conclusion, Michael Freeden Index;