In the 1st and 2nd centuries BC there are some examples of ideologically motivated politics, such as the Gracchi brothers or Caesar's assassins.
But what about personal rivalries between two demagogues, like Anthony versus Octavian? Unless I'm mistaken neither was fighting to restore the Republic; both men seem to have sought the same amount of power for themselves. Did these men have genuine political disagreements on any issues, or were they simply fighting out of greed for power?
And how about the many power struggles during the Empire, such as the Year of the Five Emperors? Were those solely about self-interested power?
I am VERY curious about the answers this question will garner. My gut reaction to this would be no. Modern historians have organized these figures into artificial factions known as the optimates and populares, but these are modern organizations. While it is true that the populares politicians were looking out of the rights of the capita censi, but it is hard to believe that they truly had their interests at heart. The letters of Cicero demonstrate that the champion of republican governance was a quite petty individual. His main rival (for a time), Clodius, married the daughter of one of the Gracchi (Tiberius I believe), but is actions display an interest in his own advancement.
I am, however, willing to entertain the idea that there were genuine political/social reasons for these rivalries, and defer to people who are better informed on the topic.