What is conservatism in latin
‘to retain’
what are the origins of conservatism
Toryism emerged during the Restoration 1660- 1688 which supported a hierarchal society with a monarch who ruled by divine right
define conservatism
the desire to conserve with a resistance or suspicion of change
pragmatism
- pragmatism means rationality and caution
- “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”
- pragmatism is an approach where society should be flexible with decisions made on a basis of what already works
- EDMUND BURKE critical of the French rev because they got rid of a system that had been in place for so long and believed the rev could’ve been avoided. He believed change should happen peacefully through evolution rather than conflict
- humans lack the intellect to reason the complex realities of the world; this dismisses the working class
tradition
- if you are challenging tradition you are challenging god
- the monarchy, hetro-sexual relationships and the nuclear family have always worked so why change it? FOR EXAMPLE the monarchy promotes unity and pride as seen at the 2011 royal wedding
- tradition allows a strong sense of identity whereas no tradition gives instability and insecurity
human imperfection
- perfection is impossible therefore have a very pessimistic view of human nature
- humans are flawed psychologically, morally and intercellular
- therefore it is stressed that:
1 tough law and order deters criminals
2 humans are competitive so a successful political system will recognise that self interest is a more powerful motivator than selfishness.
paternalism
- people who are the best equipped should lead because of their birth, inheritance and upbringing
- the working class can’t develop certain skills that the upper class have
- upper class have a duty of care for the lower class
EG DAVID CAMERON - called for ‘compassionate conservatism’ HOW? - eg boosting the right to buy council house scheme introduced by Thatcher that he claimed would encourage the building of 200,000 houses and creation of 400,000 jobs - two types of paternalism
1 - soft: consent to paternalism
2 - hard: paternalism is imposed regardless of consent
NOBLESS OBLIGE - the duty of the wealthy and privialged to look after those less fortunate
what is atomism
society is made up of self interested and self sufficient individuals
what does nobles oblige mean
the duty of the wealthy and privileged to look after those less fortunate
what does change to conserve mean
that society should adapt to changing circumstances rather than reject change and risk rebellion
eg the ongoing maintenance of a building which doesn’t come from inaction
conservatism is the ‘doctrine of maintenance’
KEY THINKER - HOBBS
- state, we need it
- a state of nature would be ‘nasty brutish and short’
- ‘natural chaos’ stemmed from a lack of authority which is supposed to determine right and wrong; people’s definition of right and wrong can differ which leads to uncertainty and war
- without a state there would be no civil society
- autocratic leadership style is best
KEY THINKER - EDMUND BURKE
society
TRADITIONAL CON
- society is too optimistic because people fail more than they succeed
- Very critical of the French rev: aims weren’t realistic and no one had any real answers. It came about because the aristocracy failed to represent the interest of the majority so the rev was inevitable but preventable
- the unrealistic view society want is better to hear bu aren’t prepared to accept that in reality you have to ‘fail more than you succeed’
KEY THINKER - OAKESHOTT
state/ society more middle ground and understanding
- people are ‘fallible but not terrible’
- if you realise human imperfection then you’ll have a greater appreciation of the pleasure that already exist in life like family
- experience and failure allows for growth
- the state exists to ‘prevent the bad rather than create the good’.
KEY THINKER - RAND
human nature/ neo liberal - quite liberal on social aspects but conservative on economic views
- a successful society is based on the willingness of the people, not the effort of the state
- we should act as individuals
- support a laissez fair economy, tax cuts and privatisation
- the state is crucial to have liberty because it can give order and security which cant be achieved elsewhere
- supporter of atomism: society is made up of millions of independent atoms who don’t follow a simple form
Traditional conservatism
- emerged after french rev: it was reactionary instead of non reactionary (planning ahead and adapting to maintain
- hierarchy, paternalism, church
- BURKE: change to conserve
- lots of reform eg Met Police Force created which made society safer. it strengthened the justification for the state and that order and authority are needed: preventing Hobbs “nasty brutish and short” state of nature
- ‘without security there can be no liberty’
one nation conservatism 19TH CENTURY
- there was a demand for more democracy and less aristocracy which led to the creation of one nation. This is because people were more educated than ever
- Disraeli: to maintain social control you need to please the class conscious people to quite them down
- Disraeli: “the palace is not safe when the cottage is not happy”
- Disraeli: all social classes are part of the same family
- to support this family, there should be greater state intervention in society and the economy, so higher taxation and public spending: this was very unusual for conservatives but the motive was to keep people in their place and avoid revolution - unlike the liberals who were doing it for a safety net
- paternalism
one nation conservatism 20th CENTURY
- shaped by reactions to fascism, socialism and communism. eg the LABOUR PARTY arguing for a middle way; the CONS adapted some of these socialist ideas such as carrying on the NHS because it is pragmatic to stay popular
- pragmatism and paternalism
- OASKESHOTT: “the state exists to prevent the bad rather than create the good”
Neo liberalism - economic focused
- mostly focused on economic policies
- create a free market economy
- end of dependency culture
- privatisation of services eg post office
- reduce the power of Trade Unions because they were ‘obstructive’
neo conservatism - society focused
- the restoration of authority
- tough laws deter crime
- multiculturalism is a threat to national unity and it proves divisive
- less tolerant to immigration
localism
conservatives see society as a collection of localised communities - Burke: “little platoons”
these communities provide security
Burkes objections to the FRENCH REV was that it was centred around a single French society that would override local loyalties - this was reinforced by the new french republic which had a very centralized state
organicism
society emerges gradually and organically and therefore mysteriously
see society less like a machine, responsive to whichever levers are pulled and more like a plant which grows in a way which can’t be predicted - not mallible
empiricism and oakeshott’s opinion
empiricism means evidence rather than theory
cons look at society in empirical terms
contrasts the ‘normative’ approach by liberals of what ‘should be’ and looks at what can be and what has been to look at what to do next
oakeshott - conservative society aims to ‘stay afloat’ in uncertain waters instead of sailing towards a destination no one is certain about
property in society
‘little platoons’ Burke - is a reference to property
property is tied to tradition and continuity
property is inherited by one generation from another which provides a degree of stability in an imperfect world
what strand of conservatism supports property
new right conservatives - want to extend property ownership throughout society and create a ‘property owning society
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Liberalism22
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conservatism30
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political parties29
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Emerging and minor UK political parties12
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represenative and direct democracy31
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widening the franchise and debates over suferage14
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pressure groups19
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rights in context16
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case studies of three key general elections18
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the influence of media14
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referendums and how they are used0
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voting behaviour28
