Ideological Homogeneity Research Articles

Pre-1989 East-West Video - Entertainment Without Borders

Summary: In pre-1989 Eastern Europe, the vidéocassette recorder presented a threat to the ideological homogeneity of the party-state. The spread of video was society's response to this hegemony of the party, and above all it provided access to the western way of life through the consumption of the forbidden fruit of entertainment. Disconcerted by this medium, the authorities wondered how they could exploit it without favouring the 'class enemy'. The black market was to solve the dilemma first, as audiences - ignored in the Soviet conception of international communication - asserted their rights.

Vidéo Est-Ouest avant 1969 : divertissement sans frontières

The VCR endangers the ideological homogeneity of the Party-state. The spread of video is society's response to this hegemony and is above all a means of access to the Western way of life through the consumption of the forbidden fruit of entertainment. Authorities are disconcerted by this medium: how can it be used without favouring the "class enemy"? The black market will solve this dilemma before the State does as audiences - ignored in the Soviet conception of international communication - assert their rights.

Forecasting the world's problems: The Last Empire: the corporatization of society and diminution of self

A future scenario is postulated—‘The Last Empire’—based on concern with the ramifications of increasing corporatization and moves away from individualism. The globalization of the marketplace is marked by increasing cultural, psychological, social and ideological homogeneity, politicoeconomic centralization and the threat to individualism. Personal demands for autonomy and a liberalization of the human spirit provide the counter-thrust. These competing trajectories are the context within which major global problems are viewed. Five major issues are treated here: the global economy; nationhood and cultural determinacy; the economic dimension; the educational agenda; and the individual's outlook. In each area the clashes between individual involvement and corporatization, and their outcomes, provide the key to forecasting and dealing with the world's future problems.

Political Interest, Political Information Search, and Ideological Homogeneity as a Function of Sociopolitical Ideology: A Tale of Three Theories

The relative plausibilities of three theories concerning the relationship between sociopolitical ideology and certain personality variables were examined using 783 Swedish high school students: authoritarian personality theory, extremism theory, and context theory. The three theories were compared by examining degree of information search and interest in politics as a function of sociopolitical ideology and ideological homogeneity as a function of parental educational level. The main results showed that: (1) The relationships between degree of information search and political interest on the one hand, and sociopolitical ideology on the other, were primarily curvilinear indicating greater interest in politics and greater information search for both “left” and “right extremists” as compared to moderates on a number of ideological dimensions. (2) Subjects with well-educated parents were more ideologically heterogeneous than subjects with poorly educated parents. These differences were more marked for males than for females. The results were most consistent with context theory.

Acculturation in Tatarstan: The Case of the Sabantui Festival

No culture enjoys a perfect integration or a static equilibrium of its component traits. The diffusion of features of culture is a constant and crucial dynamic process. Acculturation, as a process of change dominated by the mutual influence of different cultures in close contact, is especially suited to interdisciplinary scrutiny. The study of acculturation is equally challenging for the linguist, the ethnographer, the anthropologist, and the historian interested in investigating processes and forms of cultural change, cultural integration, and causes for the selective receptivity of cultures.The multinational character of Soviet society against the background of its socioeconomic and ideological homogeneity renders a special quality to the dynamic tension between unity and diversity, especially with regard to culture, cultural change, and integration. Consequently, an investigation of acculturation as a component of the broader ethnic processes is not only justified, but imperative.

Party Cohesion in the French National Assembly: 1958-1973

This article explores the extent of party discipline in the French National Assembly during the first four assemblies of the Fifth French Republic, and compares it with cohesion in earlier French Republics and in other Western legislatures. It is based on the analysis of 357 roll calls in the National Assembly between 1958 and 1973. Party cohesion appears to be stronger during the Fifth Republic than it was during earlier periods. An examination of the pattern of dissent in each party supports the conclusion that this higher cohesion was based not on ideological homogeneity but largely on the importance of governmental-opposition considerations. The emergence of a stable and durable majority led deputies to follow systematic voting patterns: the majority in support of the government and the minority in opposition to it.

Political Developments in the Sino-Soviet Bloc

Four basic and meaningful trends are currently developing in the Sino-Soviet bloc. A most important trend is the emergence of diversity within Communist unity. Stalinism was characterized by political and ideological uniformity, centralization, and homogeneity. Today, a far more complicated pattern of relations prevails. A second trend, related to the first, is the weakening of ideological unity and the decline of ideological zeal within the Communist bloc. A third trend involves the energetic development of the economic and political integration of the Sino-Soviet bloc. The Soviet Union remains an autarchic economy. Otherwise, efforts are being made to develop specialization in the economic development and production of the various Communist countries. This division of labor contributes to greater interdependence. The Asian states, to date, are not part of this joint economic enterprise. The fourth trend is a general sense of historical momentum reinforced, on dubious intellectual grounds, by Soviet technological, especially space, advances. The West should avoid premature and rash actions of either a provocative or an unnecessarily compromising character. Beyond that, it is in the Western interest to promote stability among those Communist elites already inclined toward moderation and greater radicalism among those which are more militant.