the emergence of the new right Flashcards
the new right emerged in the 1970s in reaction to what its proponents perceived as
one nation cons excessive concessions to socialist policies and ideas
the new right became associated with and implemented by
Margaret Thatcher in Britain and Ronald Reagan in the USA
the new right positioned itself as the revival of ‘ true ‘ conservatism arguing that
one nation cons had strayed to far away from fundamental conservative principles
however the new rights philosophy and policy approach can be seen in many ways as alligning more closely with
classical liberalism
with its emphasis on individual freedom and free market economy
the new right is a combination of
neo liberalism and neo conservatism
neoliberalism with its roots in classical liberal thought advocates for
minimal state intervention in the economy emphasis free markers and individual enterprise
neoconservatism while sharing some principles with traditional conservatism ie focus on traditional values and strong national defence and law and order diverged in its
approach to social policy and welfare
important to recognise that the advocates of the new right such as Thatcher and Reagan were both neolibs and neocons at the same time , they supportered
decreasing the states involvement economically and extending it in the realms of maintaining order and national defence
a key departure of the new right from earlier conservative traditions is its support for atomism over an organic view of society , traditional cons viewed society as
an interconnected evolving organism where each part has a role in the larger whole
in contrast the new right perceives society as
a collection of individuals each pursing their own interests , leading to the best outcomes when allowed maximum freedom without excessive state intervention
this perspective by the new right rejects the notions of
hierarchy and paternalism which are key principles of conservative thought
the new right supports the view that humans are rational beings in a meritocratic system where individuals succeed based on
their own efforts and talents that shouldn’t be interfered with
this perspective (humans are rational ) rejects the human imperfections and support for hierarchy and paternalism which are
key principles of conservative thoughts
unlike traditional and one nation cons which value pragmatism and tradition the new right is more ideologically driven focusing on
the principles of freedom and individualism
the shift to the new right marks a significant transformation in the conservative landscape moving away from the cautious stability focused approach of earlier cons to a
more dynamic , market driven and individualistic ideology
thus while the new right maintains some conservative elements its core beliefs and priorities represent a break from
traditional cons , with many questioning whether they should be considered cons at all
neo liberalism is an economic and political ideology that supports laissez faire capitalism ;
free markets , low public spending , low taxation and minimal government intervention in the economy
for example Ayn Rand was strongly opposed to the welfare state seeing it as curtailing individual freedom and as a step towards authoritarianism , in her book
’ the virtue of selfishness ‘ she stated “ the difference between a welfare state and a totalilatarian state is a matter of time “
neoliberals posits that private enterprise and open competition are the most efficient ways to produce economic growth whilst also not infringing upon individual freedom thus ,
laissez faire capitalism is therefore the most efficient and the most moral economic system
Robert nozick another key neoliberal thinker was opposed to the welfare state and to extensive taxation , he saw both of these as
dangerously infringing upon individual autonomy and freedom in the name of supporting others
Robert Nozick in ‘ anarchy , state and utopia ‘ he wrote
” indviduals have rights , and there are things no person or group may do to them ‘ and ‘ taxation of earnings from labour is on par with forced labour ‘
neoliberals emphasis on individual autonomy and freedom was influenced by their positive views of humans as
rational beings and contributed to their support for atomism and opposition to hierarchy and paternalism
the new rights opposition to paternalism can be seen in Ayn Rands opposition to the concept of personal altruism which she views as
the moral obligation to place the needs of others above ones own interests
Ayn Rand argued that altruism wether done by the individual or the state diminishes
individual freedom and successes by creating an unhealthy dependence in those who are the recipients of altruistic actions
in ‘ the virtue of selfishness ‘ Ayn Rand stated
” the man who attempts to live for others is dependent . he is a parasite in motive and makes parasites of those he serves “
For Rand the ideal moral pursuit was rational self interest not
self sacrifice for others
neoconservatism empahsised the vital role of the state in maintaining order and security both
domestically and internationally and supported significant state funding to enable this
this stance was prominent during the Cold War when the perceived threat from the Soviet Union led to
neocon support for a robust and assertive foreign policy
neocons within the new right advocated for a strong military and an active international role for their country supporting
interventions abroad to combat communist influence
domestically neocons supported a strong state apparatus to ensure law and order reflecting
a belief of necessity of a powerful government to uphold societal stability
neocons was also characterised by a cultural and moral dimension advocating for
anti permissiveness and a return to traditional judeo christian values
this aspect of neocons was a response to what its proponents saw as the moral and social decay of the 1960s and 70s marked by increasing
liberalisation in social policies and attitudes especially those related to personal and sexual freedoms
neocons pushed back against this liberalisation promoting the traditional nuclear family structure and religious values , they viewed these traditional values
as underpinning the social fabric , many of their views and policies they supported were deeply homophobic
can be argued that neolibs and neocons are inherently
incompatible and opposed
neolibs supports significantly decreasing the size of the state and level state intervention on the other hand Neocons
support a significant state role in defence and law and order
it can also be argued that they are
compatible and work together effectively
neolib policies , by shrinking state involvement in the economy free up resources and thus these resources
can then be redirected to defence and law enforcement , aligning with neocons priorities
thatcher was an advocate for Neo liberal economics and significantly changed Britains
economic policy in line with these new right principles when in power
one of thatchers most notable actions was the widespread privatisation of state owned industries including
the British telecom , British Gas and British airways
- intended to reduce state involvement in the economy and increase competition in these sectors
deregulation was another one of thatchers key aspect of her tenure she removed many of the regulatory controls over industries and the financial sector most notably
with the “big bang” reforms in Londons financial district in 1986
thatcher also introduced the right to buy scheme a landmarks housing policy that allowed millions of council hips tenants to purchase their homes at discount this was a cornerstone of thatchers efforts to
promote property ownership and individual responsibility , fostering a shift towards a more property owning democrat aligning with the new rights emphasis on personal autonomy , privatisation and reduced state intervention
during her tenure Thatcher prioritised defence and law enforcement in government spending even in times of broader public sector cutbacks , while funding for various social programs and other areas of
public spending was reduced , budgets for policing and defence were maintained or increased
thatchers government took significant steps to curb what it saw as societal permissiveness notably though section 28 which prohibited the
promotion of homosexuality by local authorities and in schools , reinforcing sexual norms
it is important to recognise that this was an extremely damaging homophobic policy
thatchers government was marked by a firm stance agsint the Soviet Union during the Cold War with a
very close political alignment with US president Reagan
