Ideology explorer
Political ideologies, mapped.
60 political traditions, each profiled on the same 12 axes the 12 Axes test uses. Positions are simplified summaries of broad traditions, not verdicts on any group.
One map, 12 axes
Where they sit
Each ideology has a profile on 12 axes in four groups: economy, state and liberty, society and world. The map squeezes those 12 numbers into two, so neighbours on the map can still disagree on trade, religion or technology. Open any ideology for the full picture.
The full list
All 60 ideologies
60 of 60 shown
- Other familyAgrarianismAgrarianism holds that rural life and widespread ownership of family farms are the foundation of a healthy society, economy and democracy.
- Economic10% Markets
- Civil33% Liberty
- Society48% Tradition
- Diplomatic23% Nation
- Anarchist familyAnarchismAnarchism is a political philosophy that rejects the state and other forms of coercive hierarchy and favors voluntary cooperation and self-governing communities.
- Economic40% Equality
- Civil98% Liberty
- Society57% Progress
- Diplomatic55% Global
- Anarchist familyAnarcho-CapitalismAnarcho-capitalism proposes abolishing the state and replacing it with private property, voluntary exchange and privately provided services, including security and courts.
- Economic100% Markets
- Civil100% Liberty
- Society10% Progress
- DiplomaticCentered
- Anarchist familyAnarcho-CommunismAnarcho-communism seeks a stateless, classless society where land and workplaces are held in common and goods are shared freely according to need.
- Economic100% Equality
- Civil98% Liberty
- Society63% Progress
- Diplomatic55% Global
- Anarchist familyAnarcho-SyndicalismAnarcho-syndicalism is a branch of anarchism that sees revolutionary trade unions as the means to abolish capitalism and the state and to run the economy democratically.
- Economic87% Equality
- Civil88% Liberty
- Society55% Progress
- Diplomatic53% Global
- Centrist familyCentrismCentrism favors balanced, pragmatic positions between left and right and tends to judge policies case by case rather than by a single principle.
- EconomicCentered
- CivilCentered
- SocietyCentered
- DiplomaticCentered
- Religious familyChristian DemocracyChristian democracy applies Christian social teaching to politics, supporting the family, community, a social market economy and cooperation between nations.
- Economic10% Equality
- Civil18% Authority
- Society55% Tradition
- Diplomatic20% Global
- Religious familyChristian SocialismChristian socialism applies Christian teachings on love, justice and care for the poor to economics, favoring cooperation, common ownership and social welfare over competition.
- Economic57% Equality
- Civil17% Liberty
- Society19% Tradition
- Diplomatic30% Global
- Nationalist familyCivic NationalismCivic nationalism defines the nation as a community of citizens who share political values, laws and institutions, rather than a common ancestry, ethnicity or religion.
- EconomicCentered
- CivilCentered
- SocietyCentered
- Diplomatic25% Nation
- Liberal familyClassical LiberalismClassical liberalism emphasizes individual rights, the rule of law, free markets and a limited government that protects life, liberty and property.
- Economic62% Markets
- Civil58% Liberty
- Society11% Progress
- Diplomatic20% Global
- Communist familyCommunismCommunism is a political and economic ideology that seeks a classless society in which property is owned in common and goods are shared according to need.
- Economic92% Equality
- Civil33% Authority
- Society56% Progress
- Diplomatic10% Nation
- Other familyCommunitarianismCommunitarianism stresses that people are shaped by their communities and that shared responsibilities and the common good should be balanced with individual rights.
- Economic30% Equality
- Civil23% Authority
- Society34% Tradition
- Diplomatic18% Nation
- Conservative familyConservatismConservatism values tradition, social stability and inherited institutions, and prefers gradual, tested change over large reforms based on abstract plans.
- Economic50% Markets
- Civil35% Authority
- Society66% Tradition
- Diplomatic48% Nation
- Conservative familyConstitutional MonarchismConstitutional monarchism supports a hereditary monarch as head of state whose powers are limited by a constitution, with real political power held by elected institutions.
- EconomicCentered
- Civil12% Authority
- Society31% Tradition
- DiplomaticCentered
- Liberal familyCosmopolitanismCosmopolitanism sees all people as members of a single global community and supports strong international institutions, open exchange and equal respect across borders.
- EconomicCentered
- Civil20% Liberty
- Society54% Progress
- Diplomatic90% Global
- Socialist familyDemocratic SocialismDemocratic socialism seeks broad public or worker ownership of the economy, achieved and governed through democratic elections, civil liberties and popular participation.
- Economic77% Equality
- Civil35% Liberty
- Society50% Progress
- Diplomatic45% Global
- Religious familyDistributismDistributism holds that a just society needs property spread widely among families, through small farms, small businesses and cooperatives, rather than concentrated in corporations or the state.
- EconomicCentered
- Civil28% Liberty
- Society57% Tradition
- DiplomaticCentered
- Green familyEco-SocialismEco-socialism combines socialist economics with ecology, arguing that environmental crises are rooted in profit-driven growth and require social ownership and democratic planning.
- Economic77% Equality
- Civil47% Liberty
- Society32% Progress
- Diplomatic25% Global
- Green familyEnvironmentalismEnvironmentalism is a political and ethical movement that seeks to protect and improve the natural environment by changing harmful human activities, laws and habits.
- Economic28% Equality
- Civil13% Liberty
- Society10% Progress
- Diplomatic30% Global
- Other familyFederalismFederalism is the principle that power should be constitutionally divided between a central government and regional units, so that each has its own guaranteed area of authority.
- EconomicCentered
- Civil43% Liberty
- Society8% Progress
- Diplomatic30% Global
- Other familyFeminismFeminism is the belief in social, economic and political equality between the sexes, and the movements that work to secure women's rights and interests.
- Economic30% Equality
- Civil30% Liberty
- Society53% Progress
- Diplomatic30% Global
- Conservative familyFiscal ConservatismFiscal conservatism favors low taxes, restrained government spending, balanced budgets and limited public debt as the basis of a healthy economy.
- Economic63% Markets
- CivilCentered
- SocietyCentered
- Diplomatic10% Global
- Liberal familyGeorgismGeorgism holds that people own what they create, but the value of land and natural resources belongs to everyone and should be shared through a land value tax.
- Economic30% Markets
- Civil33% Liberty
- Society30% Progress
- Diplomatic73% Global
- Green familyGreen PoliticsGreen politics centers environmental protection and sustainability, often paired with social justice, grassroots democracy, nonviolence and international cooperation.
- Economic53% Equality
- Civil35% Liberty
- Society54% Progress
- Diplomatic60% Global
- Populist familyLeft PopulismLeft populism frames politics as a conflict between ordinary people and economic elites and favors redistribution, public services and protection of workers from global markets.
- Economic60% Equality
- Civil15% Authority
- SocietyCentered
- Diplomatic35% Nation
- Liberal familyLeft-LibertarianismLeft-libertarianism combines strong individual liberty and self-ownership with the belief that natural resources belong to everyone in some egalitarian way.
- Economic17% Equality
- Civil77% Liberty
- Society64% Progress
- Diplomatic55% Global
- Communist familyLeninismLeninism is the political theory and practice developed by Vladimir Lenin, centered on a disciplined vanguard party leading a workers' revolution and a one-party socialist state.
- Economic92% Equality
- Civil83% Authority
- Society52% Progress
- Diplomatic40% Nation
- Conservative familyLiberal ConservatismLiberal conservatism pairs free-market economics and individual rights with respect for established institutions, national traditions and gradual, cautious change.
- Economic50% Markets
- Civil15% Authority
- Society39% Tradition
- Diplomatic10% Nation
- Liberal familyLiberalismLiberalism is a broad political tradition that puts individual freedom, equal rights, constitutional government and the consent of the governed at the center of politics.
- Economic20% Markets
- Civil37% Liberty
- Society41% Progress
- Diplomatic45% Global
- Anarchist familyLibertarian SocialismLibertarian socialism seeks collective ownership of the economy organized through voluntary, decentralized and self-managed communities rather than through a central state.
- Economic85% Equality
- Civil85% Liberty
- Society60% Progress
- Diplomatic60% Global
- Liberal familyLibertarianismLibertarianism seeks to maximize personal and economic freedom, letting people live and use their property as they wish while respecting the equal rights of others.
- Economic85% Markets
- Civil85% Liberty
- Society29% Progress
- Diplomatic8% Global
- Other familyLocalismLocalism holds that political power, economic activity and community life should be organized at the smallest practical level, close to the people they affect.
- Economic10% Equality
- Civil55% Liberty
- Society14% Tradition
- Diplomatic15% Nation
- Communist familyMaoismMaoism is the version of Marxism-Leninism developed by Mao Zedong, which placed the peasantry at the center of revolution and stressed mass mobilization and continuous class struggle.
- Economic87% Equality
- Civil78% Authority
- Society30% Progress
- Diplomatic65% Nation
- Socialist familyMarket SocialismMarket socialism combines social, public or worker ownership of firms with markets and prices to coordinate production and consumption.
- Economic32% Equality
- Civil20% Liberty
- Society35% Progress
- Diplomatic25% Global
- Communist familyMarxismMarxism is a theory of history and society that analyzes capitalism through class conflict and expects it to be replaced by a classless, collectively owned economy.
- Economic85% Equality
- CivilCentered
- Society61% Progress
- Diplomatic35% Global
- Liberal familyMinarchismMinarchism holds that the state should exist but be limited to protecting people from force, theft and fraud through police, courts and national defense.
- Economic83% Markets
- Civil63% Liberty
- Society24% Progress
- Diplomatic15% Global
- Anarchist familyMutualismMutualism is an anarchist economic theory, rooted in Proudhon, that favors free markets of cooperatives and self-employed workers, mutual credit and ownership based on use.
- Economic23% Markets
- Civil88% Liberty
- Society20% Progress
- Diplomatic50% Global
- Conservative familyNational ConservatismNational conservatism puts national identity, sovereignty and cultural tradition first, and accepts an active state to protect families, industry and borders.
- Economic20% Markets
- Civil58% Authority
- Society70% Tradition
- Diplomatic78% Nation
- Nationalist familyNational SyndicalismNational syndicalism was an early twentieth century movement that sought to unite the nation by organizing the economy into state-directed syndicates under a single authoritarian political movement.
- Economic47% Equality
- Civil90% Authority
- Society57% Tradition
- Diplomatic88% Nation
- Nationalist familyNationalismNationalism holds that people who share a national identity should govern themselves and that loyalty to the nation should take priority over other group or international interests.
- EconomicCentered
- Civil40% Authority
- Society39% Tradition
- Diplomatic63% Nation
- Conservative familyNeoconservatismNeoconservatism is an American conservative movement known for an assertive foreign policy that promotes democracy, combined with market economics and concern for moral and cultural order.
- Economic38% Markets
- Civil37% Authority
- Society22% Tradition
- Diplomatic20% Nation
- Liberal familyNeoliberalismNeoliberalism is a policy approach that favors open markets, free trade, privatization, deregulation and limits on government spending within a global economy.
- Economic60% Markets
- Civil10% Authority
- Society23% Progress
- Diplomatic60% Global
- Liberal familyObjectivismObjectivism is Ayn Rand's philosophy, which holds that reason, rational self-interest and individual rights are the basis of ethics and that laissez-faire capitalism is the only just system.
- Economic95% Markets
- Civil57% Liberty
- Society61% Progress
- Diplomatic15% Global
- Liberal familyOrdoliberalismOrdoliberalism is a German school of liberal thought that supports free markets inside a strong legal framework designed to protect competition and prevent concentrated power.
- Economic30% Markets
- CivilCentered
- SocietyCentered
- Diplomatic48% Global
- Other familyPacifismPacifism is the principled opposition to war and violence as a way to settle disputes, favoring diplomacy, nonviolent resistance and disarmament instead.
- Economic23% Equality
- Civil47% Liberty
- Society13% Progress
- Diplomatic65% Global
- Conservative familyPaleoconservatismPaleoconservatism is an American conservative current that stresses tradition, local community, national sovereignty and limits on immigration, and opposes foreign intervention and free-trade globalization.
- Economic37% Markets
- Civil27% Authority
- Society89% Tradition
- Diplomatic73% Nation
- Liberal familyProgressivismProgressivism prioritizes social reform, expanded civil rights and active government efforts to reduce inequality and address problems created by economic and social change.
- Economic42% Equality
- Civil33% Liberty
- Society75% Progress
- Diplomatic48% Global
- Centrist familyRadical CentrismRadical centrism seeks bold, far-reaching reforms built from ideas taken from both the left and the right, rather than small compromises between them.
- EconomicCentered
- Civil8% Liberty
- Society23% Progress
- Diplomatic25% Global
- Populist familyRight PopulismRight populism frames politics as ordinary people versus political and cultural elites and favors national sovereignty, border control, law and order and traditional values.
- EconomicCentered
- Civil50% Authority
- Society50% Tradition
- Diplomatic80% Nation
- Conservative familySocial ConservatismSocial conservatism seeks to preserve traditional values on family, marriage, sexuality and religion, and supports laws and institutions that uphold them.
- Economic13% Markets
- Civil30% Authority
- Society70% Tradition
- Diplomatic30% Nation
- Socialist familySocial DemocracySocial democracy supports a market economy combined with a strong welfare state, public services, labor protections and democratic reform rather than revolution.
- Economic50% Equality
- Civil10% Liberty
- Society40% Progress
- Diplomatic40% Global
- Liberal familySocial LiberalismSocial liberalism combines individual freedoms and civil rights with a regulated market economy and a social safety net that gives everyone a fair chance.
- Economic15% Equality
- Civil48% Liberty
- Society59% Progress
- Diplomatic50% Global
- Socialist familySocialismSocialism is a family of ideas holding that the economy should be owned or controlled socially, so that wealth and power are shared more equally.
- Economic72% Equality
- CivilCentered
- Society40% Progress
- Diplomatic25% Global
- Socialist familyState SocialismState socialism places major industries under government ownership and uses central planning to direct production, investment and prices.
- Economic90% Equality
- Civil60% Authority
- Society22% Progress
- Diplomatic20% Nation
- Socialist familySyndicalismSyndicalism is a labor movement and doctrine that aims to replace capitalism and the state with a federation of worker-run unions, using direct action such as the general strike.
- Economic80% Equality
- Civil57% Liberty
- Society38% Progress
- Diplomatic25% Global
- Other familyTechnocracyTechnocracy holds that policy should be guided mainly by experts, data and scientific evidence rather than by party politics or popular opinion.
- EconomicCentered
- Civil50% Authority
- Society50% Progress
- Diplomatic40% Global
- Centrist familyThird WayThe Third Way seeks a path between traditional social democracy and free-market neoliberalism, combining market economics with social investment and an active civil society.
- EconomicCentered
- CivilCentered
- Society40% Progress
- Diplomatic35% Global
- Conservative familyTraditionalismTraditionalism looks to religion, long-standing customs and inherited institutions such as monarchy and the church as the proper foundation of social and political order.
- Economic10% Markets
- Civil68% Authority
- Society94% Tradition
- Diplomatic53% Nation
- Other familyTranshumanismTranshumanism advocates using science and technology such as genetic engineering, artificial intelligence and life extension to improve human abilities and the human condition.
- EconomicCentered
- Civil27% Liberty
- Society79% Progress
- Diplomatic55% Global
- Communist familyTrotskyismTrotskyism is a Marxist current based on Leon Trotsky's ideas, especially permanent revolution, international socialism and opposition to the bureaucracy that developed under Stalin.
- Economic90% Equality
- Civil40% Authority
- Society65% Progress
- Diplomatic15% Global
★ 12 axes · 4 groups · 3 lengths ★
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