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Conservatism

From ProleWiki, the proletarian encyclopedia
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Conservatism refers to a set of political ideologies and beliefs that prioritize tradition, individualism, and free markets. It often emphasizes the importance of limited government intervention in economic and social affairs, and it is often associated with capitalist and capitalist-oriented political agendas.

Conservatives view society as naturally hierarchical, and they often defend the status quo, including traditional social structures and the existing distribution of wealth and power. This belief in the natural hierarchy of society is known as Social Darwinism, where the strong should survive and the weak should be left behind.

Conservatives also tend to support free-market capitalism and laissez-faire economic policies, which prioritize individualism and competition over collective action and cooperation. This economic ideology is known as "neoliberalism" where the state should have minimal involvement in the economy, and individuals should be able to compete freely in the market.[1]

In recent years, the conservative movement has been associated with right-wing populism. This has been seen in various countries where conservative politicians have been associated with anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-women policies, which are seen as an attempt to maintain the status quo of traditional social structures and the existing distribution of wealth and power.

Conservatives also often oppose progressive social and economic policies that would redistribute wealth and power to marginalized groups, such as workers and people of color. This opposition to progressive policies is an attempt to maintain the existing power structures and protect the interests of the ruling class.[2]

Origins[edit | edit source]

The word "conservatism" was first used in a political context by François-René de Chateaubriand in the early nineteenth century.[3] Edmund Burke, a British liberal Whig who famously criticized the French Revolution, is commonly cited as the "father of modern conservatism."[4]

The meaning of "conservatism" is relative to time and place. Edmund Burke is the father of liberal conservatism, the rightmost branch of liberalism within bourgeois-democratic countries. In countries where semi-feudalism survives, "conservative" has been used to describe the illiberal right-wing opposition to bourgeois revolution in the country.[5] Statesian conservative Russell Kirk once said that "conservatism offers no universal pattern of politics for adoption everywhere. On the contrary, conservatives reason that social institutions always must differ considerably from nation to nation."[3] As such, conservatism is less of an ideology itself and more of a general term for various different reactionary ideologies, ranging anywhere from liberalism to monarchism or outright fascism.

See Also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. David Harvey (2005). A Brief History of Neoliberalism. New York: Oxford University Press. [LG]
  2. Max Weber (1978). Economy and Society. Berkeley: University of California Press. [LG]
  3. Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 Douglas Harper. "Etymology of conservative" Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
  4. “This fragmentation of Whiggism into rival factions explains why the epithet 'father of modern conservatism' is often attached to Edmund Burke, whose spirited promulgation of counter-revolutionary ideas played a part in causing the schism. Burke, a Whig, was dismayed that the French Revolution had been welcomed by Fox, his close friend, and appalled by the comparison made between its assault upon social hierarchy and 'the glorious event, commonly called the revolution in England', when William of Orange (he told Parliament in February 1790) 'was called in by the flower of the English aristocracy to defend its ancient constitution, and not to level all distinctions'.”

    Robert Eccleshall (1990). English Conservatism Since the Restoration: An Introduction and Anthology: 'From the Restoration to the French Revolution' (p. 39). Routledge. [LG]
  5. The following bourgeois media outlets all do so in the context of Afghanistan: