Conservatism

Question 1

Organic Change

Answer 1

The idea that social change should not be radical

Events such as the French Revolution caused Edmund Burke to support organic change

‘CHANGE TO CONSERVE’ refers to the idea that society should adapt to circumstances through moderate reforms, rather than sudden revolutions

Question 2

Pragmatism

Answer 2

Rather than being DOGMATIC, Conservatives seek to judge their policies based on their proven merit

Burke believed that pragmatism enabled society to adapt to changing times

Examples of pragmatism include Major scrapping Thatcher’s POLL TAX or Cameron making coalition compromises

Question 3

Tradition

Answer 3

Conservatism supports traditional institutions such as the church and the monarchy, as tradition is the accumulated wisdom of past societies

Burke believed that institutions such as the NUCLEAR FAMILY had proven their value

Tradition can also give a strong sense of identity and thus unity as 1.9 billion people watched the Royal Wedding

Question 4

Robert Nozick

Answer 4

New Right thinker

Optimistic view of human nature

Minarchist who supported a ‘permissive society’

Nozick opposed taxation and the redistribution of wealth, stating that it was ‘legalised theft’

Question 5

Michael Oakeshott (x3)

Answer 5

Human nature is ‘fallible, but not terrible; imperfect but not immoral’

Human like tradition as they prefer ‘the familiar to the unknown’

Oakeshott also believed in small government, as it should be ‘a specific and limited activity’

Question 6

One-nation Conservativism

Answer 6

Supports traditional institutions, pragmatism, and paternalism. Disraeli was a one-nation conservative, as he believed in NOBLESSE OBLIGE and NEO-FEUDALISM

Support imperialism, (the extension of the power of a country through colonisation)

Thatcher was a New Right conservative but support one-nation policies such as ‘Right-To-Buy’

Question 7

Benjamin Disraeli

Answer 7

A one-nation conservative who supported NOBLESSE OBLIGE and NEO-FEUDALISM (the aristocracy should guide the working class, as they are rich and knowledgeable, whereas the working class are good at manual labour)

Disraeli introduced social reform to help the government

Question 8

Neo-Liberals

Answer 8

A ‘night-watchman’ state to prevent illegal activity, free-market capitalism, privatisation and atomism

As neo-liberals support ‘negative freedoms’ so would support Mill’s HARM PRINCIPLE

Atomism

Question 9

The New Right

Answer 9

Composed of neoliberal, who are economically libertarian and neoconservative who are socially authoritarian

Thatcher supported New Right policies, as she supported Hayek’s privatisation and deregulation, and anti-permissive laws, such as Section 28

Ayn Rand and Robert Nozick were New Right

Question 10

Neo-conservatives

Answer 10

Neo-conservatives are socially authoritarian so support anti-permissive policies to instil traditional values

IRVING KRISTOL believed that the decline of moral behaviour in the West is directly correlated to a decline in religion

Neo-conservatives believe in a state which is tough on law and order, but believes that the state should have a small economic role

Question 11

Ayn Rand

Answer 11

New Right thinker who supported atomism, egoistical individualism, and thus had an optimistic view of human nature, as humans are rational and self-interested

Ayn Rand defended laissez-faire capitalism

Supported freedom to access drugs

Question 12

Traditional Conservatism

Answer 12

Supports traditional institutions, hierarchies and monarchy to guide humans who are imperfect

Change should be pragmatic and organic

Burke and Hobbes

Question 13

Thomas Hobbes

Answer 13

A pessimistic view of human nature as without a ‘leviathan’ (dominant state), life is ‘nasty, brutish and short’ and there would be ‘a war against all’

Traditional Conservative

Question 14

Edmund Burke

Answer 14

Burke’s experience of the French revolution led him to organic change, pragmatism, and tradition

Burke supported classical economic views, but also that humans were imperfect so needed hierarchies and traditional institutions to give them guidance

Question 15

Conservatives on Human Nature

3 Imperfections

Answer 15

Conservatives have a pessimistic view of human nature. Oakeshott thought that human nature was ‘fallible, but not terrible; imperfect but not immoral’

Humans are PSYCHOLOGICALLY IMPERFECT so need to be guided by institutions and hierarchies. Humans are also MORALLY IMPERFECT, so need anti-permissive laws to guide them such as Section 28.

Humans are INTELLECTUALLY IMPERFECT

Question 16

Paternalism

Answer 16

Benign power exerted from above, the state governing in the interests of the people

Disraeli supported NOBLESS OBLIGE and NEO-FEDERALISM, that the upper classes should looks after the working classes

Cameron showed NOBLESSE OBLIGE when he promised to scrap taxes for people who paid the minimum wage in 2014

Question 17

Libertarianism

Answer 17

Conservatives such as Edmund Burke adopted the free-market liberalism of Adam Smith

Ayn Rand believed that state-involvement in the economy was expensive and Nozick thought that taxes were ‘legalised theft’

Conservatives supported the government only having a small economic role, though one-nation conservatives believe that the wealthy should help the less fortunate

Question 18

Conservatism (x3 agreements)

Answer 18

Human nature is fixed

As people have different talents, inequality is inevitable

All conservatives believe that societal change should be organic rather than revolutionary