Conservatism information

Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology, which seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values.^[1]^[2]^[3] The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in which it appears.^[4] In Western culture, depending on the particular nation, conservatives seek to promote a range of institutions, such as the nuclear family, organized religion, the military, the nation-state, property rights, rule of law, aristocracy, and monarchy.^[5] Conservatives tend to favour institutions and practices that enhance social order and historical continuity.^[6]

Edmund Burke, an 18th-century Anglo-Irish statesman who opposed the French Revolution but supported the American Revolution, is credited as one of the forefathers of conservative thought in the 1790s along with Savoyard statesman Joseph de Maistre.^[7] The first established use of the term in a political context originated in 1818 with François-René de Chateaubriand during the period of Bourbon Restoration that sought to roll back the policies of the French Revolution and establish social order.^[8]

Conservatism has varied considerably as it has adapted itself to existing traditions and national cultures.^[9] Thus, conservatives from different parts of the world, each upholding their respective traditions, may disagree on a wide range of issues.^[10] Historically associated with right-wing politics, the term has been used to describe a wide range of views. Conservatism may be either libertarian or authoritarian,^[11] populist or elitist,^[12] progressive or reactionary,^[13] moderate or extreme.^[14]

^ Hamilton, Andrew (2019). "Conservatism". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
^ Encyclopædia Britannica: "Conservatism, political doctrine that emphasizes the value of traditional institutions and practices."
^ Heywood 2004, pp. 166–167: "In particular, conservatives have emphasized that society is held together by the maintenance of traditional institutions such as the family and by respect for an established culture, based upon religion, tradition and custom."
^ O'Hara, Kieron (2011). Conservatism. London: Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-86189-812-8. It is clear that conservatives are influenced not only by their ideology, but also by the political context – no surprise there – but contexts vary and so, therefore, do conservatives.
^ Giubilei 2019, p. 37: "Conservatives aim to conserve the natural and fundamental elements of society, which are: private property, family, the homeland, and even religion […] the right-wing conservative is such not because he wants to conserve any regime and any institutions, but rather specific institutions and particular values."
^ Encyclopædia Britannica.
^ Fawcett 2020, pp. 3–18.
^ Muller 1997, p. 26.
^ Heywood 2012, p. 66.
^ Vincent, Andrew (2009). Modern Political Ideologies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-4443-1105-1.
^ Heywood 2017, p. 74: "While contemporary conservatives are keen to demonstrate their commitment to democratic, particularly liberal-democratic, principles, there is a tradition within conservatism that has favoured authoritarian rule, especially in continental Europe."
^ Micklethwait, John; Wooldridge, Adrian (2004). The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America. ISBN 1594200203. Americans who describe themselves as 'conservatives' nevertheless disagree on almost all the most fundamental questions of life. […] The Straussians at the Weekly Standard are philosophical elitists who believe that the masses need to be steered by an educated intelligentsia. The antitax crusaders who march behind Grover Norquist are populists who believe that pointy-headed intellectuals need to be given a good ducking
^ Heywood 2017, p. 63: "The Canadian Conservative Party adopted the title Progressive Conservative precisely to distance itself from reactionary ideas."
^ Fawcett 2020, p. 59: "Conservatives can be radical or moderate. It depends on the state of the contest, on the stakes in the contest, and on which party is attacking, which defending."

[:1-1] Hamilton, Andrew (2019). "Conservatism". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

[2] Encyclopædia Britannica: "Conservatism, political doctrine that emphasizes the value of traditional institutions and practices."

[3] Heywood 2004, pp. 166–167: "In particular, conservatives have emphasized that society is held together by the maintenance of traditional institutions such as the family and by respect for an established culture, based upon religion, tradition and custom."

[:6-4] O'Hara, Kieron (2011). Conservatism. London: Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-86189-812-8. It is clear that conservatives are influenced not only by their ideology, but also by the political context – no surprise there – but contexts vary and so, therefore, do conservatives.

[5] Giubilei 2019, p. 37: "Conservatives aim to conserve the natural and fundamental elements of society, which are: private property, family, the homeland, and even religion […] the right-wing conservative is such not because he wants to conserve any regime and any institutions, but rather specific institutions and particular values."

[FOOTNOTEEncyclopædia_Britannica-6] Encyclopædia Britannica.

[FOOTNOTEFawcett20203–18-7] Fawcett 2020, pp. 3–18.

[FOOTNOTEMuller199726-8] Muller 1997, p. 26.

[FOOTNOTEHeywood201266-9] Heywood 2012, p. 66.

[10] Vincent, Andrew (2009). Modern Political Ideologies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-4443-1105-1.

[11] Heywood 2017, p. 74: "While contemporary conservatives are keen to demonstrate their commitment to democratic, particularly liberal-democratic, principles, there is a tradition within conservatism that has favoured authoritarian rule, especially in continental Europe."

[12] Micklethwait, John; Wooldridge, Adrian (2004). The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America. ISBN 1594200203. Americans who describe themselves as 'conservatives' nevertheless disagree on almost all the most fundamental questions of life. […] The Straussians at the Weekly Standard are philosophical elitists who believe that the masses need to be steered by an educated intelligentsia. The antitax crusaders who march behind Grover Norquist are populists who believe that pointy-headed intellectuals need to be given a good ducking

[13] Heywood 2017, p. 63: "The Canadian Conservative Party adopted the title Progressive Conservative precisely to distance itself from reactionary ideas."

[14] Fawcett 2020, p. 59: "Conservatives can be radical or moderate. It depends on the state of the contest, on the stakes in the contest, and on which party is attacking, which defending."

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Variants Authoritarian Corporatist Cultural Fiscal Green Liberal Libertarian Moderate National Paternalistic Populist Pragmatic Progressive Reactionary Religious Social Traditionalist Ultra
Principles Ancestral worship Authority Traditional Class collaboration Collective identity Cultural heritage Cultural values Culture of life Pro-Life Discipline Duty Elitism Aristocracy Meritocracy Noblesse oblige Ethical order Familialism Family values Fundamentalism Gender roles Complementarianism Historism Honour Imperialism Law and order Loyalty Maternalism Monarchism Royalism Nationalism Norms Conventions Customs Mores Ordered liberty Organicism Organized religion Orthodoxy Patriotism Property rights Public morality Rule of law Social hierarchy Social institutions Social order Sovereignty State religion Stewardship Subsidiarity Tradition
Intellectuals Johnson Hume Burke More Maistre Bonald Haller Chateaubriand Coleridge Karamzin Savigny Carlyle Newman Tocqueville Cortés Taine Le Bon Belloc Iorga Chesterton Spengler Savarkar Schmitt Jünger Evola Strauss Röpke Oakeshott Burnham Lefebvre Kuehnelt-Leddihn Gómez Dávila Kirk Koselleck Buckley Sowell Mansfield Scruton Hitchens Peterson
Works Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790) Considerations on France (1796) Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism (1798) The Genius of Christianity (1802) On the Pope (1819) Elements of the Philosophy of Right (1820) Democracy in America (1835) The Concept of the Political (1932) The Conservative Mind (1953) The Conscience of a Conservative (1960) How to Be a Conservative (2014)
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Religion Anglo-Catholicism Christian right Clericalism Confucianism Conservative Christianity Hindutva Islamism Jewish conservatism Religious Zionism Traditionalist Catholicism Integralism Ultramontanism Traditionalist School Perennialism
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