Ideological 
 

   

Differences 
in Modern 
Democratic 
Countries 
Delving into Politics

By Lawrence Okechukwu
Emeagwali 
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Introduction
No doubt that modern democratic countries of the world have ideologies which

historically evolved from the main ideological thoughts such as Communism,

Liberalism and Conservatism developed over many centuries ago. However it can be

observed that modern democratic societies have recently tended towards the

acceptance of certain fundamental foundational beliefs of each of these founding

ideologies. Thus, differences still exist in the ideologies found in modern democratic

countries.

It’s in light of this that I pose and seek to answer the following research question:

Are there any meaningful differences in the ideologies found in modern

democratic countries?

Before we go any further I would like to note here that modern democratic countries

can in my opinion be classified into developed modern democracies and developing

modern democracies. Understanding this classification is vital in my reasoning, to

understanding the differences to be discussed in the body of this research work. Also

it is important to use this medium to also shed more light on the form of differences

which may exist, and these includes

• Ideological differences within developed democratic countries.

• Ideological differences between or among two or more developed democratic

countries.

• Ideological differences within particular ideological groups within a country or

among countries.

• Ideological difference within and among developing countries.

Lawrence O. Emeagwali     lawrenceemeagwali@gau.edu.tr  http://strategy‐lawrence.blogspot.com 
 
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Difference in the Ideologies found in Modern Democratic Countries

*Ideological differences within a Modern Developed Democratic Country

Modern developed democracies such as the USA and Canada, and indeed most of

North America, have very few ideological divisions when it comes to such clear cut

standing on Liberalism, conservatism or communalism. However certain ideological

differences still exist which have their roots in the original forms of the three main

ideologies stated before. According to Richard Sigurdson, examples of these

differences include the ideology of nationalism, populism, environmentalism, and

feminism. Due to time and page constraints I will discuss a little more on feminism

as an ideological difference within a modern developed democratic country

Feminism: According to Richard Sigurdson, Feminism is that ideology which have

progressed over time and is now prevalent and which concerns itself as its name

implies, with effecting a change in the situation of male dominance still present to an

extent in developed democracies. Sigurdson also noted that feminism is an ideology

which not only supports the uplifting of women, but also concerns itself with the

equality of the sexes. Feminist such as Kathleen Lahey, decry the inferior treatment

of women of any kind. In her article titled On Silence, Screams and Scholarship

Lahey decried the historic legal subjugation of women from the time of the ancient

Mesopotamian law called the Urukagina’s Code enacted in 2415 B.C.E, believed to

be one of the first laws ever enacted and which subjugated the right of women to

speak their minds or give their views; to the present modern, subtle, written and

unwritten laws which still prevents women in certain developed democracies from

acquiring an equal 50% split in family assets after a divorce and which seek to subtly

Lawrence O. Emeagwali     lawrenceemeagwali@gau.edu.tr  http://strategy‐lawrence.blogspot.com 
 
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suppress the equal treatment of women as their male counterparts in such areas as

equality of wages, equal right to certain political and social positions and etc.

*Ideological Differences between or among two or more Developed Democratic

Countries

Ideological differences may also exist among developed democratic countries of the

world. Although these countries believe in the ideology of democracy, one country

may have an inclination towards a certain type of ideology than another. For

example comparing the United States and Canada, it is easy to see that although

both are developed democracies, like all modern developed democracies, and have

ideological groups which despite their differences, still reach out across ideologies,

to accept and share certain ideological fundamentals; still the prominence of certain

ideological groups differ in both countries. Andrew Heard lends credence to this fact

when he revealed that social democracy a modern variant of the communist ideology

founded by Carl Marx was more prevalent and prominent in Canada as opposed to

the US.

*Ideological differences within particular ideological groups within or among

developed democratic countries

Other ideological differences exist among members of the same ideological group in

a particular country or among different countries. Andrew Heard also elaborated on

this when he highlighted the difference between the prominence and prevalence of

Populism among Canadian and US Neo-Conservatives. He stressed that Populism

which is a significant variant of classical conservatism, rejects the elitist views of its

founding ideology and finds a larger followership among Canadian Neo-

Conservatives than their American counterparts.

Lawrence O. Emeagwali     lawrenceemeagwali@gau.edu.tr  http://strategy‐lawrence.blogspot.com 
 
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*Ideological differences within and among developing countries

In their work titled Political Culture and Democracy in Developing Countries, Gabriel

Almond and Larry Diamond revealed that the differences in the ideologies prevalent

in and among developing democratic nations, is hinged not necessarily on the

differences or affiliation to the three traditional ideologies mentioned earlier, but is

shaped rather by the dominant beliefs, values and attitude towards socio-political

environment. True many developing countries have embraced democracy and have

adopted a combination of the three traditional political ideologies, yet the extent to

which these traditional ideologies have been adopted have been dependent and in

some areas limited by the cultural, societal and religious belief system of these

developing countries. For example, many African countries especially in the west

and south of Africa, have embraced democracy for many decades now, but still

feministic ideologies are yet to be as profound as in developed democracies. And the

issue of discrimination in the equal splitting of family property upon divorce which

Kathleen Lahey complained about in her article, is heavily prevalent, in most of these

developing countries, the woman doesn’t even have the privilege of parting with any

family asset, talk less of a 50% share. These ideological differences according to

Gabriel Almond and Larry Diamond stem from the resistance of such developing

nations to what they see as overtly western influences. While recognizing the

benefits of democracy, these countries have sought to customize their adoption of

this way of governance, by crafting and tailoring it according to their historical,

cultural and value ideologies.

Lawrence O. Emeagwali     lawrenceemeagwali@gau.edu.tr  http://strategy‐lawrence.blogspot.com 
 
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Conclusion

Although the ideologies currently prevalent in most modern democratic countries of

the world today are based to a large extent on the three different traditional and

fundamental ideologies of Liberalism, Conservatism and Communism; they have

evolved into ideologies which reach out across all three ideologies combining and

building a foundation in most of the fundamental similarities they share. However,

just as there are similarities there are also differences, which can be observed in the

ideological environment of a particular modern democratic country, as well as the

ideological environment among modern democratic countries. True all of them are

modern democracies, but the prominence of certain ideologies; differ from country to

country, with the developing democratic countries maintaining ideologies which have

strong roots in their traditional culture and belief systems. These differences in

ideologies are fundamental in helping us understand our societies and their position

in the global scheme of things as well as enabling us to become active players in

shaping the ideological actions necessary for the betterment of our societies and the

world at large.

Lawrence O. Emeagwali     lawrenceemeagwali@gau.edu.tr  http://strategy‐lawrence.blogspot.com 
 
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References

Almond, Gabriel & Diamond, Larry. Political Culture and Democracy in Developing
Countries. USA: Lynne Rienner Publishers Inc., 1993

Heard, Andrew. “Ideologies” In Introduction to Politics and Government POL 101W-3

Study Guide, 31-46. Vancouver: Center for Online and Distance Education- Simon
Fraser University, 2010.

Lahey, Kathleen. “On Silence, Screams and Scholarship” In Introduction to Politics

and Government POL 101W-3 Course Reader, 31-46. Vancouver: Center for Online
and Distance Education- Simon Fraser University, 2010.

Sigurdson, Richard. “Thinking About Politics: Ideas, Philosophies, and Ideologies” In

Studying Politics: An Introduction to Political science, 146-148. Ontario: Nelson
Education Ltd., 2009.

Lawrence O. Emeagwali     lawrenceemeagwali@gau.edu.tr  http://strategy‐lawrence.blogspot.com