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ScotlandPolitics

Political Theory

7 dot points across 7 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What are the key ideas of conservatism and how do traditional and New Right conservatives differ?

The core ideas of conservatism, including tradition, pragmatism, human imperfection, order, hierarchy and property, the divide between traditional conservatism and the New Right, and the contribution of theorists such as Burke.
An SQA Higher Politics answer on conservatism, covering its core ideas of tradition, pragmatism, human imperfection, order and hierarchy, the divide between traditional conservatism and the New Right, and key theorists including Edmund Burke.
12 min answer →

What is democracy, and how do direct and representative democracy compare?

The meaning of democracy, the difference between direct and representative democracy, the arguments for and against each, and related concepts such as participation, consent and the mandate.
An SQA Higher Politics answer on democracy, covering its meaning and core principles, the difference between direct and representative democracy, the arguments for and against each form, and key ideas such as participation, consent, the mandate and majority rule.
11 min answer →

What are the key ideas of fascism and how does it reject liberal democracy?

The core ideas of fascism, including anti-rationalism, struggle, leadership and the cult of the leader, ultranationalism and totalitarianism, and the difference between Italian Fascism and German Nazism.
An SQA Higher Politics answer on fascism, covering its core ideas of anti-rationalism, struggle, leadership, ultranationalism and totalitarianism, its rejection of liberal democracy, and the difference between Italian Fascism and German Nazism.
11 min answer →

What are the key ideas of liberalism and how do classical and modern liberals differ?

The core ideas of liberalism, including individualism, freedom, reason, equality, tolerance and consent, the split between classical and modern liberalism, and the contribution of theorists such as Locke and Mill.
An SQA Higher Politics answer on liberalism, covering its core ideas of individualism, freedom, reason, equality and tolerance, the divide between classical and modern liberalism, and key theorists including John Locke and John Stuart Mill.
12 min answer →

What are the key ideas of nationalism and how do its different forms compare?

The core ideas of nationalism, including the nation, self-determination, identity and culture, and the differences between civic and ethnic nationalism and between liberal, conservative and expansionist forms.
An SQA Higher Politics answer on nationalism, covering its core ideas of the nation, self-determination and national identity, the distinction between civic and ethnic nationalism, and the contrast between liberal, conservative and expansionist forms.
11 min answer →

What is the difference between power, authority and legitimacy, and why do they matter in politics?

The core concepts of power, authority and legitimacy, the different forms power can take, Max Weber's three types of authority, and why legitimacy is central to stable government.
An SQA Higher Politics answer on power, authority and legitimacy, covering how political power is exercised, the difference between authority and raw power, Weber's traditional, charismatic and legal-rational authority, and why legitimacy keeps a government stable.
11 min answer →

What are the key ideas of socialism and how do its revolutionary and reformist strands differ?

The core ideas of socialism, including community, cooperation, equality, common ownership and class, the divide between revolutionary socialism (Marxism) and reformist social democracy, and the contribution of theorists such as Marx.
An SQA Higher Politics answer on socialism, covering its core ideas of community, cooperation, equality, common ownership and class, the divide between revolutionary Marxism and reformist social democracy, and key theorists including Karl Marx.
12 min answer →