New Right conservatism - An American export Flashcards
20th century conservatism in the UK…
For much of the 20th century, conservatism in the UK was defined by a combination of social conservatism and qualified support for economic liberalism. In other words, while conservatives stressed order, authority and traditional communities, their support for private property and capitalism was tempered by a fear that market forces could generate gross inequalities that would outrage the majority of working-class voters.
As a result, traditional conservatives in Europe and the UK supported interventionist economic policies, such as Keynesianism, and high public spending on state welfare.
Conservatism in the United States…
In the US, however, conservatism had a rather different mixture. Conservatives placed much more emphasis upon individual freedom, laissez-faire capitalism, private property and minimal government, largely because these values squared with different traditions, reflecting the communities that emerged organically after the discovery of the New World.
Many of these traditions were liberal in character…
Many of these traditions were essentially liberal in character, stemming from the individualist values of the USA’s Founding Fathers and a Constitution that owed much to the philosophy of John Locke.
Those values were quickly blended with other values that were more obviously conservative, such as traditional Christian morality, a respect for marriage and family life, intense patriotism and a belief in ‘strong’ (albeit limited) government.
Synthesis between classical liberalism and social conservatism…
American conservatism had always involved a synthesis between classical liberalism and social conservatism. From the 1970s onwards, conservatives in Europe were increasingly convinced that this model of conservatism was one that they too should adopt.
