Power of Ideology

<p>Since the Roman Empire leaders have used ideology to organize the masses and instil amongst them a common consciousness and equally to conquer assimilate or repel alternative ideologies. Ideology has been used to help create safeguard expand or tear down political communities states empires and regional or world systems. This book explores the multiple effects that competing ideologies have had on the world system for the past 1700 years: the author examines the nature and content of Christianity Islam Confucianism Protestantism secularism balance-of-power doctrine nationalism imperialism anti-imperialist nationalism liberalism communism fascism Nazism ethno-nationalism and transnational radical Islamism; alongside the effects their originators sought to craft and the consequences they generated. </p><p>This book argues that for centuries world actors have aspired to propagate through the world arena a structure of meaning that reflected their own system of beliefs values and ideas: this would effectively promote and protect their material interests and - believing their system to be superior to all others – they felt morally obliged to spread it. Radical transnational Islamism Hybel argues is driven by the same set of goals. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of international politics international relations theory history and political philosophy.</p>