Today we began a unit on belief systems and political ideologies. A political ideology is a unifying belief about political theory and policy. The concept of political ideologies important to understand because of its influence over government structure and policy development. Political ideology also unifies the thoughts of an individual and affects specific political views. Some common political ideologies are liberalism and conservatism. Because political ideology can be such a powerful form of national and individual identity, it can be used to manipulate people with that identity.