ABSTRACT
Ideologies cover virtually all possible political views, solutions to problems or perceived problems, and perspectives. For the most part, political movements that do not involve religious or ethnonationalist elements can be broadly grouped into left and right categories. Leftist ideologies generally proclaim that their ideal state will include the establishment of greater equality and the reduction or destruction of privilege and rank. They are frequently universalistic in that they claim to apply to many, if not all, the peoples and societies of the world. Rightist ideologies usually stress the need for order and hierarchy and the presence of some form of natural ordering of groups in political systems. They may define some natural elite (with definitions varying substantially) that should govern. They can even suggest that there is great value in differences and even in the presence of inequalities. Inequality is considered to be a principle of nature (Bjorgo 1995b: 3). Ideologies of the right often, but clearly not always, involve elements of nationalism, meaning that in many cases they are not really universalistic in their applications. Their prescriptions are seen as being relevant for a particular society or particular group of societies rather than most or all of the societies of the world.
