Different types of conservatism: traditional Conservatism Flashcards
What type of MP was Edmund Burke
A Whig MP
Who is Burke considered to be?
The father of Conservatism
What is Burke’s most famous work and what was it’s main argument?
In Reflections on the Revolution in France, Burke showed an impassioned opposition to the French Revolution. He defined various aspects of Conservative thought like:
-imperfection
-empiricism
-organicism
-tradition
-localism
-aristocracy
What did Burke argue about human nature and what does this mean for society?
Stressed human’s imperfection as well as mankind’s fallibility an our tendency to fail. He therefore denounced an idealistic society that the French Revolution represented, claimed in was based on a utopian view of human nature
What does Burke argue about change?
While change was necessary to conserve, change should proceed on the basis of fact and experience (empiricism and tradition) rather than theory and idealism.
Why did he oppose the French revolution?
-they discarded what was known in favour of an entirely new society based on ‘philosophical abstractions’
-They disregarded history and tradition
-he hated their stress on equality, asserting in an organic society, a ruling class was inevitable and desirable
-He condemned their highly centralised structures as he arged the importance of little platoons
What was society and government akin to for Burke and why? What does this mean?
a plant as it had a mysterious dynamism. Change must therefore be cautious and organic
What caused the revolution for Burke?
The role of the ruling class was paternalism and the French aristocracy failed to do this
Arguments why Conservatism is a ruling class ideology?
-Burke constantly attacked the revolution for its egalitarianism and and he defended its aristocratic rule
-They defend property, privilege and inequality
-Conservative paternalism is just a way to make inequality and elitism palatable
-The stress on tradition and change to conserve tries to prevent radical change, which is the ultimate threat to the ruling class
Arguments why Conservatism is not a ruling class ideology?
-The prime purpose of a Conservative state is order and maintenance, which appeals to all of society
-Their love of habit and familiarity echoes in all sections of society
-Traditional conservatism has frequently promoted the interests of the poor to ensure the maintenance of one nation
-The wish to avoid revolution and it’s during revolution that those lower in society suffer most
-New right conservatism is meritocratic and not aristocratic , identifying ambitious people and talent
Who were some of the early traditional Conservative (tory) Prime Ministers?
William Pitt
George Canning
Robert Peel
What principles did traditional Conservative Prime Ministers show support for?
-order and property
-antipathy for revolutionary change
-tradition
-Society consists of a small multitude of communities
-society emerged organically
-empiricism
-paternalism
-aristocratic rule
What are examples of some events Canning brought about that show traditional Conservative principles and change to conserve?
-prepared legislation that allowed Roman Catholics to participate in Parliament
-championed the abolition of slavery
-supporting demands for independence in Latin American countries
What are examples of some events Peel brought about that show traditional Conservative principles and change to conserve?
-support for the great reform act of 1832
-stablished the Metropolitan police
Which politicians were important in the emergence of one nation?
Disraeli in Britain and Otto Von Bismarck in Germany
What provoked the emergence of one nation?
socialism, with its emphasis on class conflict was a new threat to tradition and stability and so Disraeli realized that the case for orderly change would have to be refined.
What did Disraeli and Bismarck promote to bring about the idea of one nation?
At this point they realized the potential of nationalism’s Conservative potential. Conservatives embraced class differences but in a way that fostered unity rather than rupture. In one nation Conservatism all members of society were in the ‘national family’ and revolutionary politics was an attack on the nation itself
According to Disraeli, what was the role of the aristocracy?
they had a paternalistic duty to ‘elevate the condition of the people’. When this happened, people could live in harmony as Disraeli argued, ‘The palace is not safe when the cottage is not happy’.
How did Disraeli try to spread one nation Conservatism?
the endorsed state sponsored social reform - laissez fair individualism, like class based socialism, was a threat to the one nation. This made conservatism of the late 1800s associated with legislation that tempered effects of capitalism, on the behalf of the nation’s working class
What are some examples of Disraeli’s and Bismarck’s legislation?
Factory Act 1874
Artisan Dwellings Act 1875
They restricted the freedom of landlords and factory owners
Bismarck created the first welfare state
What were the two main events in the 1900s that reshaped political events?
-spread of socialism and communism after WW1 and the emergence of fascism prior to WW2
What does one national actually mean?
denotes a belief that Conservatism should prioritize national unity by attending to the conditions of the society’s poorer class. It has been used by Conservatives to justify greater state intervention
What is the ideology of egalitarianism?
an ideology enfolding socialism and communism
What was the biggest threat of egalitarianism to the UK?
the soviet union
What events reinforced Conservative’s fear of egalitarianism in the UK?
The extension of the franchise in 1918 and the accelerated growth of the Labour Party
What was the Conservatives response to fascism and egalitarianism
the sought to temper the effects of a capitalist economy with a view to sustaining a society based on property ownership and inequality. Harold MacMillan spoke about the ‘middle way’ between capitalism and socialism, one that would address economic inequality while respecting property rights, tradition, national identity etc
What was Harold MacMillan willing to do to protect privilege and stifle socialism
He was willing to use a much greater degree of state intervention
What are examples of the middle way’s state intervention?
support for Public Health, Housing and Factory Acts, all of which checked market forces in the name of social cohesion and one nation
What was accepted by Conservatives after 1945?
they took further steps towards the acceptance of a ‘big government’ and embraced ideas like Keynesian economics and welfare states. This was because they needed to win elections and elections were now dominated by a working class
Where did Christian democracy become most prominent?
In European nations where they had felt the effects of fascism to a much greater extent
How does Christian democracy overlap with traditional conservatism?
-Judaeo Christian morality
-authority and hierarchy
-emphasis on marriage and family
-same skepticism towards the free market and thus Christian democracy stresses the ‘social market’
-enlarged state
What makes Christian democracy different to British and American conservatism?
attitudes towards the nation-state, as the experiences of fascism left conservatives aware of nationalism and patriotism.
Instead they prioritised supranationalism, embodied by the EU
Why don’t the British like supranationalism?
they were suspicious the real aim was to eliminate the nation and instead make the region the main focus of communal identity. It was dubbed ‘no-nation Conservatism’
What was Oakeshott’s key text?
On Being Conservative
What was the key message of Conservatism?
It’s renowned for its fresh interpretation on how Conservatives regard human imperfection. It’s remembered for its argument that a ‘philosophy of imperfection’ need not be a ‘philosophy of pessimism’ or unhappiness
What was Oakeshott’s belief on human nature?
Most men and women were ‘fallible but not terrible’ and ‘imperfect but not immoral’. Though we aren’t able to create the perfect society, we can still secure pleasure and improvement through the buisness of everyday life
In Oakeshott’s opinion what do ideologies focused on what society could be cause feelings of?
‘impatience, intolerance and frustration’
Why is the opinion of human imperfection a benefit in Oakeshott’s eyes
they have a greater appreciation of the pleasures that already exist in life. Conservatives ‘prefer the familiar to the unknown, the actual to the possible, the convenient to the perfect… present laughter to utopian bliss’
What principles does Oakeshott admire that are behind the ‘art of the possible’
empiricism and a pragmatic approach
What does Oakeshott believe about the state?
The state existed to ‘prevent the bad rather than create the good’ and the job of the government is simply to keep the boat floating at all costs
Who were Oakeshott’s biggest critics and what did they say?
mainly conservative critics on the new right who claim his philosophy is too fatalistic and underestimates our ability to shape circumstances. Nozick believed the ‘Oakeshott mentality’ was ‘lazy’ and allowed socialists ideas to advance unchallenged
