6.2 Conservatism tensions Flashcards
1
Q
4
Outline the emergence of different conservative branches
A
- Traditional - emerged as reaction to Enlightement and French Revolution of 18th Century
- ON - emerged due to poor living conditions and social inequality of industrial revolution
- New Right (neo-conservatism) - emerged as reaction to 1960s social revolution
- New Right (neo-liberalism) - emerged in reaction to breakdown of post-war economic consensus in 1970s
2
Q
6
Outline Traditional Conservatism
A
- Committed to natural unequal heirarchy as elite best placed to rule over society
- Pragmatic approach to change, which should be evolutionary and organic
- humans imperfect
- laissez-faire approach to economy
- society akin to a living organism
- 3 aspects
3
Q
3
Describe the three types of traditional conservatism
A
- Reactionary traditional conservatism (Hobbes) - defensive against decline of arisocratic rule
- Non-reactionary traditional conservatism (Burke) - disagree on extent of human imperfection, organic change based on empricism
- Modern traditonal conservatism (Oakeshott) - focuses on psychological imperfection
4
Q
4
Outline One-Nation conservatism
A
- Updating of traditional conservatism in response to the emergence of industrial capitalism
- greater social reforms for working class to ensure social order and protection of heriarchy and traditions for stability
- Later advocate greater state economic management via Keynesian economics
- form of nationalism where all classes are part of ‘the nation’
5
Q
3
Outline the New Right
A
- Marriage of neo-liberal and neoconservative ideas
- Neo-liberal - principally concerned with free-market economics and atomistic individualism
- Neo-conservative - principally concerned with the fear of social fragmentation, tough on law and order and public morality (i.e. anti-permissive)
6
Q
3
Describe unity on human nature among conservatives
A
- Trad Con, ON and neo-Cons have negative perception - Hobbesian human imperfection
- Human imperfection drives hierarchal nature of society (neo-libs argue positive view drives meritocracy)
- Therefore pragmatism needed
7
Q
4
Describe Traditional Conservative views on human nature
A
- Humans morally, intellectualy and psychologically imperfect
- Leads to preference for empricism and pragmatism in statescraft
- Most Trad Cons view humans as communal creatures and society as organic
- Hierarchal and organic state protects individuals from inherent selfishness
8
Q
3
Describe Traditional Conservative thinkers’ views on human nature
A
- Hobbes - humans driven by self-interest and rational enough to recognise need for absolute monarchy to maintain order
- Burke - intellectually falliible so distrust abstract ideas based on rationalism
- Oakeshott - psychological fragility means humans lack capabilities to attempt complex rational ideas e.g. keynesian economics
9
Q
3
Describe One Nation views on human nature
A
- Early ON adopted Trad Con analysis of human imperfection
- Criticised rationalism and held preference for pragmatism and organic society
- Later ON adopted more rationalistic ideas e.g. Keynesian economics
10
Q
4
Describe neo-conservative views on human nature
A
- Subscribe to Hobbesian human imperfection - innate and unchangeable
- Advocate tough law and order to maintain societal stability
- Negative view of human nature leads them to conlcude that state is required to ensure an organic society
- However, neo-conservatives also open to later ON ideas of rationalism and state management
11
Q
5
Describe neo-liberal views on human nature
A
- Reject human imperfection, embracing rationalism to pursue self-interest (though through positive lense, not negative one)
- However view humans as autonomous individuals, in line with traditional conservative thinking
- Individual’s first loyalty is to personal happiness within atomistic society
- Organic society constrains individual freedom needed for rationalism
- Prefer logic and scientfic fact to empircism and pragmatism of traditional conservatism
12
Q
8
Describe unity on the role of the state among conservatives
A
- All see state as necessary for law and order to maintain civil society
- All view state as highest sovereign body in society
- State is essential force in society to maintain stability and prevent harmful divisions - informs One Nation paternalism
- State vulnerable to radical change (living organism)
- State should allow and protect private property
- Trad Con/ON/Neo-con support state intervention in society via taxation
- All oppose supranationalism
- All fear overly-expansive state
13
Q
2
Describe why different conservative branches oppose supranationalism
A
- Trad Con/ON/Neo-Con as it threatens national sovereignty
- Neo-libs as it threatens individual freedom
14
Q
3
Why do different conservative branches support private property?
A
- All view it as vital component of economy to provide psychological security within society, especially during recessions
- exists within organic society for Trad Con/ON/Neo-Con
- essential for neo-liberal atomistic society
15
Q
4
Describe traditional conservative views on the role of the state
A
- Primary purpose of state is to preserve organic society
- State should be governed by natural ruling class
- Generally support minimal state with limited social and economic involvement
- Burke argues ruling state must accept paternalist-inspired and empirically-designed changes to preserve this structure
16
Q
2
What was the natural ruling class that Hobbes and Burke believed should lead the state?
A
Hobbes - monarch
Burke - aristocratic government
17
Q
5
Describe One-Nation views on the role of the state
A
- Heavily influenced by Burke’s ideas of noblesse oblige
- Similarily to Trad Cons, see primary purpose of state as preserving organic society
- Early ON advocated small-scale intervention governed by empricism
- Later ON favoured larger, rationally-inspired intervention which has expanded state far greater than Trad Cons envisioned
- Advocate huge state intervention during crises to preserve economy and society
18
Q
4
Describe neo-conservative views on the role of the state
A
- Influenced by Hobbesian and Burkean idea that primary function of state is to preserve society
- Agree on some welfare provision to maintain social order, though advocate far less generous one than ON
- Criticise ON anti-poverty programmes as contradicting human imperfection as humans not naturally moral or hardworking (should be incentivised), therefore breeding ‘dependency culture’
- Advocate huge state intervention during crises to preserve economy and society
19
Q
7
Describe neo-liberal views on the role of the state
A
- Argue for Nozick’s minarchist state, similar to minimal state of Trad Con/neo-Con
- Most hostle branch to state intervention in society and economy
- See primary role of state to protect right of inidvidual freedom
- Rights of individuals more important than those of state
- Oppose state-sponsored welfare state
- Neo-liberals oppose idea of natural heirarchy
- Instead favour meritocracy where most able lead
20
Q
3
Describe social liberties and neo-liberals (role of state)
A
- state should not infringe personal liberty
- applies to sexuality, drug-taking, abortion
- Nozick advocated for legalisation of hard drugs and prostitution
21
Q
4
Describe Traditional Conservative and neo-conservative views on FP (role of state)
A
- Hawkish FP
- Protects organic society from external threats
- Favour insular nationalism
- state autonomy in FP
22
Q
3
Describe one-nation views on FP (role of state)
A
- Favour conciliatory FP
- Linked to paternalism and protecting WC (e.g. trade dispute)
- Should defend nationalistic values
23
Q
3
Describe neo-liberal views on FP (role of state)
A
- Distrust federal institutions like EU
- see them as threat to individual freedom and autonomy
- minimalist state required
24
Q
5
Describe unity on society among conservatives
A
- All agree that society can not pre-exist state
- Trad Con/ON/Neo-Cons favour incrimental, empirically-based changes (‘change to conserve’ model)
- Society consists of interconnecting principles
- Trad and ON Con value tradition as helps maintain organic society
- Trad Con/ON/Neo-Cons stress organic society mitigates psychological imperfection by providing stability and brake on worst instincts
25
Q
6
Describe traditional conservative views on society
A
- Organic society
- Burke ‘little platoons’
- Oakshott: utopia unattainable
- Social obligations essential
- Uphold public morality and authoritarian law and order
- Hobbes, Burke and Oakeshott believed in importance of religion and traditions to bind society’s past, present and future
26
Q
4
Describe ON views on society
A
- Agree with Trad Cons of state’s pre-existence and organic society
- Early ON sympathetic to Burke’s ‘little platoons’
- Modern ON more paternal and adovcated state intervention in society more than any one branch
- Far more secular and inclusive (same-sex, LGBT) than tradition-focussed Trad Cons and Neo-Cons
27
Q
4
Describe neo-conservative views on society
A
- Agree on organic society
- Agree with Oakeshott belief that utopian society is unattainable
- Less secular than ON - prefer Christian values
- Criticism of ON
28
Q
4
Describe neo-conservative criticism of ON on society
A
- Criticial of permissiveness
- Less sympathetic to LGBT issues such as same-sex marriage and trans-sexualism than ON
- Paternal and advocate welfare state
- Less extensive welfarism than ON to not breed ‘state dependency’ in society
29
Q
5
Describe neo-liberal views on society
A
- Society not organic, but atomistic
- Society merely a collection of self-interested and self-sufficient individuals
- Rationalism needed to understand society
- Negative liberty
- Resist welfare state
30
Q
2
Describe neo-liberal criticism of organic society
A
- Organic society leads to absorption of dominant societal beliefs, whether scientific or morally correct (e.g. justification of Nazi policies)
- Therefore organic society limits intellectual development of individual
31
Q
3
Describe neo-liberal resistance of the welfare state
A
- Resist societal obligation such as taxation which impedes individual freedom
- Rand argued for voluntarism in society
- Rand and Nozick advocated rolling back the state
32
Q
4
Describe unity on the economy among conservatives
A
- General committment to capitalism and free-markets
- State should defend private property
- Capitalism leads to economic inequality, in keeping with Trad Con ideas of hierarchical nature of society and state
- Trad Con/ON/Neo-Con argue taxation should be used to fund state intervention - though disagree massively on extent
33
Q
2
Describe unity on private property among conservatives (economy)
A
- Vital component of psychological security for individuals within economy
- Strengthens social cohesion
34
Q
2
Describe disunity on private property among conservatives (economy)
A
- Trad Con/ON/Neo-Con view it as giving individuals stake within organic society
- Neo-libs see property as triumph of atomistic society, reducing individuals’ dependency on state
35
Q
3
Describe traditional conservative views on the economy
A
- Relatively ambivalent about state role in economy
- Earlier Trad Cons favoured protectionism
- Later Trad Cons like Burke supported free-market ideas of Adam Smith to promote wealth creation
36
Q
4
Describe ON views on the economy
A
- Favoured free markets, but sceptical that laissez faire capitalism leaves no room for paternalistic support of poor and needy
- More comfortable with moderate state intervention to qualm social divisions
- Keynesian economics
- Sanction massive state economic intervention in crises
37
Q
4
Describe neo-conservative views on the economy
A
- Favour free market as best method for wealth, employment and low prices
- Lowest tax and minimalist state as possible
- still informed by Trad Con pragmatism over conservative principles, which may inform larger state economic intervention
- Need for tax-funded welfare state to maintain social order and organic society, but less generous than ON
38
Q
4
Describe neo-liberal views on the economy
A
- Laissez-faire
- Only require state as referee to ensure fair competition
- desire to ‘roll back’ the state for economic purposes leads to support of radical change, breaking from organic change of other branches
- free markets possible due to human rationality - rationality should be guide over empiricism
39
Q
3
Describe how neo-liberals propose to enshrine free markets
A
- abolish expensive welfare states and dependency cultures they breed
- deregulation and privatisation of all services
- curtail powers of obstructive bodies (e.g. trade unions) to free markets
