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21 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What are the main issues and debates?
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- Conservative view of human nature
- Value of tradition - Hierarchy and authority as pillars of social order - Conservatism as an ideology or disposition - The distinction between paternalistic and libertarian conservatism - Authoritarian conservatism - Neoconservatism and the New Right |
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What are the origins of conservatism?
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- Emerged in the 19th century in reaction to the French Revolution and Industrial Revolution
- By mid-19th century, it came to mean politics of the right - Original ideas were formulated by Edmund Burke and Joseph de Maistre - Sought to preserve the authority of the monarchy and aristocracy, maintain social power of landowners against the emerging bourgeoisie and preserve church/state ties |
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What does conservatism say about human nature?
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- Argue that human nature is flawed
- Conservatives reject the liberal idea that humans are a 'blank state', saying it is too optimistic and stressing the 'boundedness' of human rationality - Say we have a capacity for reason, but are also characterised by dependency, insecurity and moral corruptibility - Libertarian conservatism is less sceptical - General preference for institutions that promote order and reduce uncertainty - Advocate a pragmatic approach to politics. Oakeshott says humans need a firm moral compass to avoid 'drifting at sea' |
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What importance does tradition have to conservative ideology?
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- It is the beliefs, institutions, customs etc handed down from one generation to the next
- Traditions are important to a society's self-image. Emphasise the importance of national traditions and identity Emphasise tradition because: 1. It represents the accumulated wisdom of the past. If something has stood the test of time, it is worth preserving. Burke said 'change is only necessary in order to conserve'. They legitimise the present in terms of the past, rather than advocate reform like the liberals. E.g. the monarchy 2. It strengthens social integration through maintenance of a common past and identity. Promotes 'connectedness' and sense of belonging. Traditions evolve 'organically' and cannot be manufactured without losing their uniqueness - However, doesn't exclusively oppose change - libertarian and paternalistic conservatism prove this |
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Hierarchy and authority in conservative ideology
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- Argue that leadership and authority are essential principles or social organisation
- Human well-being can be best achieved in communities subject to political authority - Reasons they see authority as important: 1. it simplifies decision-making 2. reduces the complexity of social life by removing dissenting opinions 3. promotes cooperation and social order (and therefore, personal freedom) - They think without adequate guidance, law and order dissolves - Respect for authority is an obligation - a means for individuals to return something to their community - Natural inequality - individuals who have natural talent for leadership should assume a leading role in society - Authority is embodied in social institutions e.g. military, education, church etc etc etc - Libertarian and paternalistic conservatives agree there should be constraints on office-holders - Authoritarian conservatives oppose constitutionalism and portray authority as absolute and unquestionable |
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What do conservatives describe as the 'organic society'?
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- Opposed by New Right theorists
- Traditional conservatives reject liberalism's atomistic perspective, instead adopting a more communitarian perspective, seeing individualism as ontologically and motivationally false because not every aspect of the groups can be reduced to individuals - People cooperate and depend on each other sometimes for mutual benefit rather than to obtain private property as liberalism suggests - Libertarian New Right have an individualist view of society. Defend the idea of social order, duty and moral obligation but see them in terms of individual self-reliance and private property - New Right stress 'ordered risk-taking' and assert moral primacy of individuals and families over society as a whole - Idea of fragile organic society is more a European conservatism thing than a British thing, especially in France and Germany - Britain = 'faith, family and nation' as moral fabric of society |
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Importance of property in conservatism?
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- Attach importance to private property - bedrock of support from propertied classes
- it is guarantor of social order, privilege and personal identity - indicative of an individual's 'stake' in society - owner has natural interest in social order, tendency to obey law and respect others' properties - property as legitimate reward for natural talents - fruits of their labour. Powerful incentive for industriousness - Provides security in uncertain world - security of tenure. Reduces chances of dependency on the state - Opportunity to express individuality - choice of housing etc. |
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Is conservatism an ideology or a disposition?
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DISPOSITION:
- Opposed to abstract or theoretical ideas - 'Ideology' is instead associated with doctrine groups like Marxism, anarchists etc. - Understood as a 'habit of mind' - rational, common-sense view of the world - Gradualist approach to reform - Conservatism is sort of defined not by what it stands for, but more its hostility towards radicalism and its defence of existing ways of life IDEOLOGY: - Marxist perspective - paternalistic conservatism is a rule-class ideology based on the noblesse oblige - Populist New Right broadens the legitimacy of the capitalist system by extending incentives like home ownership, consumerism and social mobility |
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What policies have the 2010 Conservative-led government introduced?
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- Spare bedroom tax
- Married couples tax break - Mansion tax - EU in/out referendum - Gay marriage legalisation |
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What have been the successes of the Conservative government?
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- Avoided a triple-dip recession
- Forecasts for the economic year doubled what were expected in growth - Won the Newark by-election - Gay marriage legalisation - EU referendum |
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What have been the failures of the Conservative government?
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- Came 3rd in the Eastleigh by-election
- Threat of UKIP - took seats from them in the EU elections - 30 of the Conservative backbenchers resisted attempts to intervene in Syria - NHS cuts |
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Why can't conservatism be equated exclusively with a defence of the status quo?
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- Have adapted radical positions e.g. extending the franchise in 1867 Representation of the People Act (Disraeli). For pragmatic reasons, but paved the way for introduction of universal franchise later on
- Not purely reactive. Also positively stands for ideas and values - Comprises and plurality of different viewpoints, some more radical and some more moderate. Differences between British liberal-minded conservatives and right-wing neoconservatives in US couldn't be greater |
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What is paternalistic conservatism?
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- One Nation Conservatism/Christian Democracy (Germany and Italy use the latter)
- Government should provide for and regulate the lives of its citizens as a father does for his children - Sees the ruling class as 'born to rule' but also therefore has a duty to promote the welfare of people (due to better education and superior status etc.) - benevolent elitism - One Nation (Disraeli) argues the biggest threat to social order is the failure to integrate the poorer classes into mainstream society - The idea that the upper classes are responsible for the welfare of the lower classes inspired the humanitarian legislation in the late 1800s. Disraeli saw moderate reform as essential to preserve foundations of preserved order. - Churchill and Macmillan typify the paternalistic One Nation perspective, which led them to advocate 'managed capitalism' as a necessary feature of a cohesive society. This includes: - Redistributive taxation - Mixed economy |
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What do Christian Democrats argue?
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- Roots in political Catholicism
- State has a duty to regulate the negative consequence of the free market. Believe in 'social market economy' rather than a free one - Defence of civil society through promoting non-state entities e.g. trade unions - Attempt to transcend traditional class-based allegiances by advocating the 'common good' |
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What is libertarian conservatism?
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- Opposite to paternalistic in the sense that it advocates bourgeois individualism rather than communitairianism
- Primary aim is to liberate the economy from political regulation - Limits state intervention in economic affairs of private individuals - Think society should be based on universal acceptance of rules of the free market - State intervention and govt planning should be reduced to a minimum - Gradually abolish the welfare state - Set out to reverse everything they see as negative effects of social democracy for conservative reasons e.g. to increase self-reliance and industriousness, reduce state intervention in the private sphere, reassert traditional forms of social and political authority |
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What is authoritarian conservatism?
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- A reactionary ideology, traditionally flourishing in southern and eastern Europe and Latin America, Asia and the Middle East
- E.g. Augusto Pinochet in Chile which restricted the growth of pluralism, democracy and civil rights - Burke and de Maistre emphasise the importance of preserving existing structure by 'rule from above' - Repressive measures to restrict the growth of pluralism and democracy in the path towards social and economic modernisation - Rule from above - Anti-pluralism - Anti-communism - Defence of traditional values - Militarism - Clericalism |
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When did the New Right emerge?
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- 1970s
- political response to the crisis of hegemony in the social democratic/liberal-welfarist systems of the West |
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What is neoliberalism?
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- Defence of individual economic freedom - emphasise individuals as 'utility-maximisers'. Choices about resource allocation should be left to individuals themselves as they are best qualified.
- Reduction of state intervention - e.g. Milton, Hayek etc. Advocated shift away from Keynesianism instead emphasising need for govts to reduce inflation. They had been wanting to achieve full employment but neolibs said it wasn't possible without damaging the economy as a whole - Laissez faire - stress the need for unrestricted private commerce in place of state management and planning. Advocate deregulation of businesses and return to market forces - Anti-welfarism - reduction in cost of welfare as proportion of national income. Argue paternalism leads to welfare dependency and people lose incentive to work |
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What is neoconservatism?
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- Opposition to big government - oppose the idea of social welfare. Believe that the more the state tries to do, the more it risks being overwhelmed
- Defence of natural inequality - liberty depends on ability of people to pursue their economic goals unaided and unhindered by the state. Stress inequalities based on class, gender etc are nature feature of division of labour in 'free' societies - Anti-permissive society - advocates a traditionalist social agenda. Want a return to the traditional virtues of hard work, self-reliance and 'family values', without which, societies are in danger of becoming decadent and hedonistic. |
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New Right synthesis
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- Free market and strong state
- Neolibs and Neocons share common want to challenge growth of welfarism and reduce expectations of what governments can and should do - Strong state is necessary in order to: 1. reduce public sector size and state intervention 2. police new market order 3. make economy more efficient 4. reassert traditional forms of social and political authority |
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What are the contradictions between the two currents of New Right ideology?
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1. Unrestricted economic freedom exacerbates social problems like unemployment and inequality, therefore undermining social stability. Yet this also increases need for state intervention to manage the social pressures of the free market
2. Criticised is the tendency towards cultural decadence and permissiveness but fail to acknowledge that a key source of the problem is the consumer culture created by capitalism 3. Demand for a strong authoritarian state has negative implications for civil liberties. Govts committed to liberal economic policies have introduced illiberal legislation, restricting the rights of individuals to engage in activities which might threaten the secure operation of the free market |
