. ▁anti - cler ical ism . ▁This ▁axis ▁is ▁less ▁significant ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁( where ▁views ▁of ▁the ▁role ▁of ▁religion ▁tend ▁to ▁be ▁sub sum ed ▁into ▁the ▁general ▁left – right ▁axis ) ▁than ▁in ▁Europe ▁( where ▁cler ical ism ▁versus ▁anti - cler ical ism ▁is ▁much ▁less ▁correl ated ▁with ▁the ▁left – right ▁spectrum ). ▁ ▁Urban ▁vs . ▁rural : ▁this ▁axis ▁is ▁significant ▁today ▁in ▁the ▁politics ▁of ▁Europe , ▁Australia ▁and ▁Canada . ▁The ▁urban ▁vs . ▁rural ▁axis ▁was ▁equally ▁prominent ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States ' ▁political ▁past , ▁but ▁its ▁importance ▁is ▁deb atable ▁at ▁present . ▁In ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 8 th ▁century ▁and ▁early ▁ 1 9 th ▁century ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁it ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁described ▁as ▁the ▁conflict ▁between ▁Hamiltonian ▁Federal ists ▁and ▁Jefferson ian ▁Republic ans . ▁ ▁Foreign ▁policy : ▁inter vention ism ▁( the ▁nation ▁should ▁ex ert ▁power ▁abroad ▁to ▁implement ▁its ▁policy ) ▁vs . ▁non - inter vention ism ▁( the ▁nation ▁should ▁keep ▁to ▁its ▁own ▁affairs ). ▁Similarly , ▁mult il ater al ism ▁( co ord ination ▁of ▁policies ▁with ▁other ▁countries ) ▁vs . ▁isol ation ism ▁and ▁un il ater al ism ▁Ge opol it ics : ▁relations ▁with ▁individual ▁states ▁or ▁groups ▁of ▁states ▁may ▁also ▁be ▁vital ▁to ▁party ▁politics . ▁During ▁the ▁Cold ▁War , ▁parties ▁often ▁had ▁to ▁choose ▁a ▁position ▁on ▁a ▁scale ▁between ▁pro -