Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Fifth Edition

Rating:
Summary: Good and Terrible
Review: I give this book 2.5 stars. It is good as describing certain things objectively, but these are few and far between. The rest of the book is filled with radical left-wing shenanigans that do nothing but discredit those who disagree with them. They do not show the evils of socialism; they misrepresent conservatism (even though I am NOT a conservative by ANY means); they do not show the true colors of feminism and environmentalism, etc. etc. etc. If you are a hard-core liberal that specializes in not listening to other side, then this is the book for you. If you are a centrist, undecided, or in any way religious, conservative, or anything of the sort, you will despise this book for its egregious flaws. Concerning conservatism as a subject of conversation here, I am not saying they are ALL wrong. They do find some good errors in it, but they generalize and generalize, until everyone that disagrees with radical liberalism is in their own little niche with they classify as being wrong (usually conservatism). According to this book, I am a conservative, and I am wrong. But I am NOT a conservative, and even if I were, MOST of the things they say about conservatives are misrepresented. So, I give this book 2.5 stars, half of a full 5, because it has quite a bit of good content. But overall, it is a waste of space.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: My 10th grade Humanities class is reading selections from the text of the first edition of this book. I've loved what I have read. Probably no other book explains Ideologies better than this book. I've learned about such things as facism, liberalism, and socialism easily.

This is a great book. I give it FIVE STARS!

PS Check out the reader version of this book that has selected readings from people like Locke, Marx, and Hitler, this book is excellent.

Rating:
Summary: A Super Textbook on Ideology
Review: This is a superb textbook. I used it in teaching ideology in upper division and lower division classes. Students find it accessible. Yet the book has the nuance and sophistication that are rare for a textbook. I higly recommend this book not just to those who teach ideology or poltical philosophy, but to any political scientist or historian.