Conservatism Flashcards
What is considered to be the core key value of Conservatism?
Pragmatism
Why do Conservatives favour pragmatism?
They contend that humans lack intellectual ability to fully comprehend complex realities in the world, so radical theories and ideas for change are often dismissed.
What are the two strands of Conservatives that are associated with pragmatism?
Traditional & One-Nation
What are the five main subsections of Conservatism?
Traditional
One-nation
New Right
Neoliberal
Neoconservative
Who are the five Conservative thinkers?
Thomas Hobbes
Edmund Burke
Michael Oakeshott
Ayn Rand
Robert Nozick
What is the Conservative approach to change?
It should be peacemeal and slow
‘Change to Conserve’
What is the link between Conservatism & tradition?
They maintain that tradition makes up the wisdom of the past, and also provides society & the individual with a strong sense of identity.
What is the Conservative view on Human nature?
They believe humans are flawed & naturally selfish.
How does the Conservative view on Human nature affect policy?
They believe in a tough stance on law & order
Foreign policy should be based on security rather than harmony & cooperation
Self-interest is a more powerful motive than altruism
What is Atomism?
The idea that society is made up of self-interested & self-sufficient individuals.
What do Conservatives think about society?
People cannot exist without society - humans have to accept social obligations in order to be part of any society.
What is organicism?
The idea of an organic society or state, where all the parts work together to ensure the ‘body’ is healthy.
How does Conservatism reflect the idea of organic society?
Every part has a purpose - it shouldn’t be changed at will (lack of willingness to reform)
Organic society is based on natural needs, not those devised by theorists (no radical change)
What underpins the conservative belief in organic society?
Heirarchy and Authority
How do Conservatives justify heirarchical inequality?
Those that are the most advantaged bear the greatest social responsibility.
What is Paternalism?
The idea that the people at the top have a duty to look after the people below them.
What was the old form of Paternalism?
Nobles & aristocrats were in government & tried to help those beneath them in societal structure.
What is the new form of Paternalism?
The Mixed Economy & Welfare State.
What are the two types of paternalism?
Soft - the people gave consent
Hard - Paternalism is forcefully imposed.
What is Libertarianism?
A political philosophy that advocates minimal state intervention in the lives of citizens, as its primary role is to protect individual rights.
What type of economics goes against Libertarian economics?
Keynesianism.
What is the biggest threat to an economy according to Liberal economics?
Inflation.
What are the two main arguments against the welfare state used by Liberals?
State welfare programmes create dependency culture
Policies to redistribute wealth go against the right to property ownership.
What is Traditional Conservatism?
A strand that originated in the late 18th century as a response to the Enlightenment & the French Revolution.
What do Traditional Conservatives believe about human nature?
Heirarchy is necessary, as people do not have the same abilities as each other, so society should reflect this as a functional necessity.
What do Traditional Conservatives believe about the state?
It should follow noblesse oblige, the idea that those in positions of authority were best placed to make decisions for the good of society as a whole.
What do Traditional Conservatives believe about Society?
It follows an organic structure, where every part is an organ that works together to form the whole.
What did One-Nation Conservatism attempt to be?
The middle way between the hard right and the soft right.
Who founded One-Nation Conservatism?
Benjamin Disraeli.
What do One-Nation Conservatives believe about the economy?
It can be mixed, with an active welfare state
Laissez-faire capitalism.
What do One-Nation Conservatives believe about the state?
Capitalism in its purest form would lead to societal splits between rich and poor - government needs to renew commitment to social obligation.
What is the New Right?
A subsection of Conservatism that saw a surge in the 1970s & 80s.
Who were the two main proponents of the New Right?
Margaret Thatcher & Ronald Reagan.
What were the two distinct ideologies that make up the New Right?
Neoliberalism & Neoconservatism.
What does the New Right say about the state?
Minimal intervention in both economic & social affairs.
What does the New Right say about society?
We should attack ‘permissive’ social attitudes (the idea that people can make their own moral choices).
What does the New Right say about the economy?
Market-led, minimal state intervention in the economy, reject Keynesianism.
What were some examples of New Right policy?
Section 28 in 1988 - ‘don’t say gay’ (permissive social attitudes)
Privatised the state-controlled industries (free-market capitalism).
What is Neo-Liberalism?
An ideology that promotes the free market economy.
Mainly the work of economists such as Milton Friedman.
What are the three threats to the free market according to Neo-Liberals?
Monopolies, inflation, and government intervention.
What is the Neo-Liberal stance on the economy?
It should be completely free from government intervention, and entirely free-market.
What is the Neo-Liberal stance on the state?
It should stay out of the economy & out of people’s lives.
What is the Neo-Liberal stance on society?
Advocates atomistic individualism - people are rational and self-interested.
Believes welfare states create dependency culture.
What is Neo-Conservatism?
A reactionary ideology, formed against the reforms, ideas, and permissive attitudes of the 60s.
What is the Neo-Conservative stance on the economy?
Free-market & low state intervention.
What is the Neo-Conservative stance on society?
Permissive attitudes lead to social fragmentation - we need to re-impose authority & respect in society.
What is the Neo-Conservative stance on the state?
Its role is to keep law & order - greater police power & harsher punishment are needed to tackle crime & public disorder.
What disagreement is there amongst Conservatives regarding the state?
One-Nation Conservatives believe it to be a neutral arbiter whose primary role is to preserve social order.
New Right has both authoritarian & liberal ideas, in that it should stay out of the economy but it needs to impose social order with strong powers.
What disagreement is there among Conservatives regarding the economy?
All conservatives favour free-market & private enterprise. However, One-Nation Conservatives advocate low levels of the welfare state & interventionism, whereas all other types of Conservative don’t.
What disagreement is there among Conservatives regarding society?
Traditional & One-Nation Conservatives have an organic view of society. In contrast, Neo-Liberals see society as a makeup of individual, self-interested beings.
What disagreement is there among Conservatives regarding human nature?
Most Conservatives see humans as selfish & imperfect. Neo-Liberals think people can be self-sufficient due to rationality, but all Conservatives still agree that idealistic systems won’t work in reality.
What were the ideas of Thomas Hobbes?
People are needy and vulnerable, and without a strong government, the world would descend into chaos.
People cannot be trusted with freedom, so the state should be an absolute authority ruling over them.
What type of Conservatism most closely links with Hobbes’ ideas?
Traditional.
What were the ideas of Edmund Burke?
Change should be undertaken slowly, and with great caution, as tradition should be protected.
Traditional institutions represent the wisdom passed down through generations, but change isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just something that needs to be undertaken slowly and with care.
What type of Conservatism most closely links with Burke’s ideas?
Traditional Conservatism.
What were the ideas of Michael Oakeshott?
Actions of government should be guided by pragmatism, as ideology often oversimplifies what are, in reality, very complex issues.
The pragmatic approach can deliver what is in the best interests of the people & will maintain social stability through emphasising moderation.
What strand of Conservatism most closely aligns with Oakeshott’s views?
One-Nation Conservatism.
What were the ideas of Ayn Rand?
People should be entirely selfish, pursuing their own goals above all else. The Economy should reflect this, allowing people to act entirely as they wish, with no state intervention at all.
What strand of Conservatism most closely links with Rand’s ideas?
Neoliberalism.
What were the ideas of Robert Nozick?
Taxes are evil because they amount to a type of forced labour imposed on the individual by the state. People have self-ownership, and should be free to give as much or as little as they choose.
Which strand of Conservatism most closely reflects the ideas of Nozick?
New Right (Neo-Liberalism).
What is the phrase coined by Edmund Burke regarding incremental change?
Change should be gradual and cautious.
Thinkers
Traditional
Thomas Hobbes (1588−1679)
Edmund Burke (1729−1797)
One-Nation
Michael Oakeshott (1901−1990)
New-Right
Ayn Rand (1905−1982)
Robert Nozick (1938−2002)
Human nature - Agreement
All conservatives believe that humans are imperfect - apart from neo-liberals, who believe that individuals are rational.
One nation conservatives also believe that social factors play a role.
Human Nature - Disagreement
Traaditional
3 forms of human imperfection
psychological
moral
intellectual
Hobbes - humans are selfish and need a leviathan.
Burke - individuals should have their ‘wills thwarted’.
One-Nation
Crime isn’t just from human imperfection. social disadvantage can cause criminal behaviour. Crime can be reduced through paternalism and noblesse oblige.
Disraeli
MacMillian
Neo –liberalism
Individuals are rational, self interested, competitive and self reliant
Nozick - Private property is a sign of meritocracy and hard work
Rand - Private property promotes personal responsibility
Rand - being egotistical is a moral good.
Neo-conservatism
State welfare has created a dependency culture and anti-social behaviour by discouraging law and order.
Private property promotes stability and rule of law.
Society - Agreement
All conservatives believe in paternalism, apart from neo-liberals who believe in individual choice. There are differences however between hard and soft paternalism. Most believe[d] in the organic analogy.
All reject an equal society in favour a hierarchy.
There are differences over what the hierarchy should be based on
Society - Disagreement
Traditional
Tradition must be maintained. -fearful of change
natural hierarchy - some people are better than others, but all have a place. Burke - ‘natural aristocracy’
organic society
Change in order to conserve
Democracy of the dead.
European V British conservatism and change. Burke - ‘Change in order to conserve’ versus de Maistre (return of the divine rule of kings) and Tzar Nicholas I ‘Orthodoxy, autocracy and nationality’ (as opposed to liberty, equality, fraternity).
One-Nation
Same as traditional conservatism:
Tradition must be maintained. -fearful of change
Oakeshott - pragmatism = “To be conservative, then, is to prefer the familiar to the unknown, to prefer the tried to the untried”
Change may be needed to prevent revolution - Disraeli
Noblesse oblige - those at the top of society have a duty of care - can lead to a support for welfare states Macmillan
Neo –liberalism
favour individualism over collectivism. Free choice, especially in the free market. Individuals should be able to choose their own morals.
Thatcher- ‘There’s no such thing as society, there are individuals and families”
Atomism and personal responsibility. Hierarchy based on meritocracy .
State benefits create a dependency culture and laziness.
Rand - rugged individualism and personal responsibility.
Neo-conservatism
Critical of the permissive 1960s and the moral decline. Worried about the rise of a dependency culture and the loss of shared morality and the increase in personal choice.
Rejection of atomism, but a strong belief in personal responsibility
In the US conservatism is linked to a desire to return to moral values
opposed to premartial sex
opposed to abortion
strong Christian beliefs.
The State - Agreement
All conservatives support a paternalistic state. There are differences between hard and soft paternalism.
ALL believe in a large free market.
There are differences over the level of state intervention in the economy.
The State - Disagreement
Traditional
Hard authoritarian.
crime is caused by human nature and must be punished.
Burke
Hobbes and the Leviathan.
One Nation
Soft authoritarianism
Social factors can also cause crime
Mixed view on the states involvement in the economy Oakeshott and pragmatism.
Accepted post war Beveridge report, between 1950 and 1979. Support for NHS
Change in order to conserve. David Cameron supported same sex marriage “because he was a conservative, not despite being a conservative”
Neo –liberalism
State should be ‘rolled back’ and not interfere with the ‘invisible hand’ of the market.
Nozick - taxation is theft
Some neo-liberals believe in liberalising rules on marriage and drugs
Neo-conservatism
Same as traditional conservatives.
State should legislate for morality
section 28
opposed to same sex marriage
tough on drugs
Thatcher - enemies within and external enemies.
The Economy - Agreement
All have favoured a generally free market. One-nation conservatives less committed ideologically than neo-liberals.
The Economy - Disagreement
Traditional
Edmund Burke was very positive towards Adam Smith and agreed in free trade.
The laws of commerce were the laws of nature and therefore of God.
He strongly supported private property.
It should be charity, rather than the state that support the poor.
…However, he feared speculative investments and risk - short term investments were irresponsible.
Coleridge feared that free market economics would destroy tradition and religion. Capitalism would encourage materialism and erode morality
One-Nation
Acceptance of regulation of the market to prevent revolution
Disraeli and public health reforms
post war consensus
Oakeshott
Neo –liberalism
Market fundamentalism - Hayek and Friedman
Rand and Nozick
Neo-conservatism
The free market can be used to ensure social order. If you’re worried about losing your job you won’t go on strike.
