A superficial survey of ideological behaviour produces an impression of chaos, and this has led many students of this subject to regard ideology as a perversion of the intellect, something that ought to be eliminated. Walsby looked deeper. He saw that running through the conflict and disorder there are certain regularities, and that these indicate the presence of a small number of broad, general, enduring ideologies. According to Walsby they form a hierarchic system which has developed through time. Each of these seeks to effect certain changes in society and each has its distinctive conception of the profundity of the changes required.
Conservatism seeks to extend practices already well established, private enterprise for example.
Liberalism would introduce novelties, such as proportional representation. The communist movement would enforce a sudden change to communism, even at the cost of revolution. Anarchism would effect the most profound change of all, abolishing all society incorporating government and authority. In respect of the profundity of the changes they respectively seek these movements form a series. Walsby's distinctive perception was that if the movements be taken in this order then a number of other features also change consistently over the series.