In some of your campaigns in Sid Meier's Civilization 7, you might play nice with your neighbors--everyone's singing Kumbaya from the start all the way to the point when one of you sends a person to space. However, it's more likely that conflict is bound to arise, especially due to disparate belief systems. Here's our guide to help you with the best Ideologies in Civilization 7.The best Ideology in Civilization 7 - Democracy, Fascism, or CommunismThe Civilization 7 Ideology system plays a key role during the Modern Age, a time when nations have unburdened themselves with superstition and feudalism, ready to take the next step in industrialization. However, the ideological belief that you choose might cause you to make new enemies. This then leads to the Military Legacy objective where you earn points from capturing the settlements of your opponents. How to unlock IdeologiesYou can unlock a Civilization 7 Ideology once you study the Political Theory civic during the Modern Age. Three panels with their respective options should then appear: Democracy, Fascism, and Communism.You need to study the first tenet in any of these panels, which then locks you in to that particular belief. However, take note that civs that focus on other tenets will be considered ideological enemies, causing issues with your diplomatic relations. Democracy civics and rewardsDemocracy:Social Policy: Fireside Chats - +4 happiness from specialists; -3 gold in towns.Social Policy: Suffrage - +3 culture from specialists; -3 production in towns.Free units: +4 infantry units.Free attribute points: +1 Cultural and +1 Diplomatic.Liberalism:Social Policy: Free Press - Towns gain culture equal to your Cultural attribute; -5 science in cities.Social Policy: Welfare State - Towns gain happiness equal to your Diplomatic attribute; -5 production in cities.Progressivism:Social Policy: Avante Garde - +2 culture and happiness from displayed Great Works.Social Policy: New Deal - +30% production when constructing Wonders.Social Policy: Their Finest Hour - +25% production when training air units; +5 combat strength for air units in your own territory. Fascism civics and rewardsFascism:Social Policy: Assembly Line - +3 production from specialists; -3 food in towns.Social Policy: Dirigisme - +6 gold from specialists; -3 happiness in towns.Free units: +3 cavalry units.Free attribute points: +1 Economic and +1 Militaristic.Radicalism:Social Policy: Martial Law - Towns gain production equal to your Militaristic attribute; -5 happiness in cities.Social Policy: Propaganda - Towns gain gold equal to your Economic attribute; -5 culture in cities.Absolutism:Social Policy: Military-Industrial Complex - +50% production when training military units; +1 gold maintenance for all units.Social Policy: Strategic Railways - +20% production when constructing buildings and improvements in cities with a Rail Station.Social Policy: Scorched Earth - +5 combat strength for all units when attacking; +25% yields and HP from pillaging. Communism civics and rewardsCommunism:Social Policy: Productive Forces Determinism - +3 science from specialists; -3 gold in towns.Social Policy: Proletariat - +6 food from specialists; -3 happiness in towns.Free units: +3 ranged units.Free attribute points: +1 Expansionist and +1 Scientific.Centralism:Social Policy: Collectivization - Towns gain food equal to your Expansionist attribute; -5 happiness in cities.Social Policy: Naukograd - Towns gain science equal to your Scientific attribute; -5 culture in cities.Socialism:Social Policy: Defense of the Motherland - +3 combat strength for all land units in your own territory.Social Policy: Police State - +8 happiness in cities whenever you're at war.Social Policy: Public Works - +30% production towards completing projects. The best Civilization 7 IdeologyOddly enough, we feel that the best Civilization 7 Ideology is Fascism, with Communism coming as a close second:Fascism complements a highly aggressive playstyle for warmongers, especially if you plan on conquering your neighbors to claim a Military Victory. The three free cavalry units, in most cases, tend to be Tanks at this stage, allowing you to crush your foes with ease. Then, when you add Military-Industrial Complex, you'd end up with an unstoppable juggernaut.Communism, meanwhile, works best for those who want to focus on a Science Victory. Both Productive Forces Determinism and Naukograd add significant bonuses. Later, once you're enacting Space Race Projects, Public Works grants some much-needed boosts to speed things up.Sadly, Democracy lags behind, given its focus on Culture. The problem is that a Cultural Victory in the Modern Age isn't affected by cultural gains per turn, unlike in previous games. Instead, you rely on Explorers and Artifacts, far removed from any perks you might obtain from these civics. In fact, the extra production from Communism: Public Works is better if you're going for a Cultural Victory since you still need to complete the World's Fair Project to win. Capturing settlements for a Military Victory based on opposing ideological beliefsRegardless of what we consider as the best Ideology in Civilization 7, it bears mentioning that the tenet you choose determines how you progress if you're going for a Military Victory. Here are a few things to remember:Aside from other requirements, you need to amass Ideology Points by capturing settlements from other civs. Those with no Ideology grant +2 points per settlement, and those with an opposing Ideology grant +3 points per settlement.However, you won't earn points if the settlement is: Given and recaptured - Give a city as part of a deal and conquer it again come the next war.City-state territories - City-states that you conquer do not grant points.Resettled tiles - Let's say you earn points upon capturing a settlement and you decide to raze it. If another leader resettles on the same tile/area, and you conquer those lands again, you won't earn points.That does it for our Civilization 7 Ideology guide. Don't forget that earning points is just one part of the Military Legacy path in the Modern Age. You still need to complete Operation Ivy (or fulfill other victory conditions) to conclude the campaign.Explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate your way to victory with the help of our Sid Meier's Civilization 7 guides hub.