Conservatism Essay

As liberalism ideology evolved and championed by the economic leaders, it pose a threat to the existing social settings such as the presence of the nobility, and the church. The attempt to defend existing social arrangement is what brought about conservatism. Conservatives stood against the ideas of liberals in a rational for maintaining existing traditional political structures and the centralization of power. They stood against transferring political responsibility to the common people under the disguise of equality (Shively, 2014).

The history of American conservatism reveals the diversity of the ideologies and values that comprise the modern public philosophy. This history also reveals the fragility of the conservative coalition. Conservatives agree primarily on the concepts that they oppose, rather than on principles that they share. Professor James Ceaser argues that “much of the unity that exists among conservatives stems from their shared antipathy to liberalism. It serves as the common heart that beats in the breast of the conservative movement’s diverse and often fractious components.” Ceaser provides a useful analogy for the conservative movement. The “common heart” of conservatism is an antagonism towards liberalism that supplies the blood to the movement’s four heads: Traditionalism, Classical Libertarianism, Neoconservatism, and the Religious Right. Caesar asserts that, in politics, there is no shame “to relying in the adhesive nature supplied by a common

Typically Liberalism can be categorized into two different strands, Classical and Modern (yet some thinkers advocate a third strand that is referred to as Neo-Liberalism), each characterized by their differing and to some extent unavoidably overlapping attitudes regarding the theory behind the ideology and how it should be put into practice. Prior to examining how these relate to one another and before making any comparisons, it is important to give a definition, as best as possible, of Liberalism as a concept.

Today, politics vary drastically from what our Founding Fathers precedented in the genesis of the United States. September 19, marks the 208 anniversary of Washington’s Farewell Address, whether bad or for worse, George Washington’s insight is still relevant in today’s political stage of a dominant two political party platform. In George Washington’s Farewell Address, then former president Washington, states the possible weaknesses to unfold as a republic. The ideology of a political party with definite beliefs alters the opinions and pride held for the United States for the domination of one party. History within itself, has had multiple political parties for varying causes, however the split between the Democrats and Republicans, although

The New Right has significantly revised the relationship between conservatism and tradition, however. The New Right attempts to fuse economic libertarianism with state and social authoritarianism. As such, it is a blend of radical, reactionary and traditional features. Its radicalism is evident in its robust efforts to dismantle or ‘roll back’ interventionist government and liberal social values. This radicalism is clearest in relation to the liberal New Right, which draws on rational theories and abstract principles, and so dismisses tradition. New Right radicalism is nevertheless reactionary in that both the liberal and conservative New Right hark back to a 19th century ‘golden age’ of supposed economic prosperity and moral fortitude. However, the conservative New Right also makes an appeal to tradition, particularly through its emphasis on so-called ‘traditional values’.

The nation has come to know the GOP as a party that embodies the essence of conservative America. One characteristic of US conservatism is forgetfulness or strategic avoidance of sensitive issues that date back as recently as six months. Everything with the GOP is yesterday, today and a conservative future.

Since the writing of the United States Constitution, the American government has been structured in a way that only truly allows for two parties. Of course there are numerous other smaller parties, however, the key is that these parties are smaller. The most successful way to become elected to a position in the American governmental structure is to have the backing of the Democratic or Republican Party. Over the two-hundred-year history of the United States the parties have changed names and fundamentally altered their core believes. Today, the distinction has become quite clear as the rise of polarization forces a clear, concise difference between the two parties. The Democrats must uphold the liberal ideals while the Republican Party carters to those of a conservative

Beginning in the 1960s the conservative middle-class, living in the suburbs, called for an end to the New Deal and the moral decay of their country. Recognizing the liberal movement’s inability to organize, and agree on issues, right wing activists began to mobilize. Although split between social conservatives and libertarians the right was able to unify on common ground and change the direction their nation was headed. In Suburban Warriors: The Origins of the New American Right, McGirr argues that this movement, centered in Orange County, would begin a new era of a return to traditional values and would be successful as a result of organization, faith, and a fierce dedication to what these middle-class Americans believed to be morally right.

In his 2014 book 11 Principles of a Reagan Conservative, Dr. Paul Kengor laid out the foundational beliefs of the Reagan presidency. Of importance to the relevance of Reagan and the current political climate are the principles related to social conservatism: faith, family, and the sanctity and dignity of human life.(1) Those principles formed one leg of Reagan’s three-legged philosophy of conservatism. Many of the same principles form the core of the current conservative wing of the Republican Party, but demographics within the United States have changed the relevancy of the principles. Understanding the political climate and demographics of the 1970s and 1980s in relationship to social conservatism and projecting the demographics and political climate of the 2018 mid-term election will determine the efficacy of the message of social conservatism for the current electorate. 107 lines

The book starts with a discussion on, what does it mean to be a liberal and what events take place to thrust these political ideals into our political environment? To be a liberal has meant different things at different time in our history. For purposes of this book, Brinkley focuses on what it means to be a liberal at the turn of the twentieth century. The concept of “progressivism” or “reform” liberalism begins to take shape “the belief in the interconnectedness of society, and thus in the need to protect individuals, communities, and the government itself from excessive corporate power,

Since the advent of the Tea Party — in some ways, since Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House — the Republican Party seems to me distinctive for its audacity. And while I think it has used that audacity for evil ends, I am actually speaking with a kind of perverse admiration right now. Some Republicans, i.e., the ones who have slowly gained ascendancy in the party, have collectively:

America’s greatest battle ever fought is an ongoing clash between conservatives and liberals. Conservatives and liberals is arguably the greatest rivalry in American history for the simple fact that is has been going on since the beginning of politics. Naturally some people want to make changes to progress and move forward toward greater and bigger things, while some tend to to stick closer to the way thing are at that time because they benefit from it or are scared of changes. All the conflicting topics between conservatives and liberals can be placed in either the structure of the society, the role of the government or the progress of the nation. Liberals see the need to adjust to a new way of living instead of using old methods and praying

The two parties have continued their 150 year long tug-of-war battle for dominance and over time have become symbols of American politics. It is nearly impossible to hold a political discussion without bringing up either or both of the parties or some prominent member thereof in reference to where they stand on the issue being discussed. A major

Progressive leaders. Deviating from the “traditional” definition of conservatism (a resistance to change and a

The ideologies, conservative and liberal are the ideals that form the basis for politics in the United States. The conservative ideals form the platform for republicans and the liberal ideals, the democrats. Although not every republican has to be a conservative and so on, republicans generally speaking have a more conservative outlook on beliefs, policy, ethics, etc. Liberalism views the government as being the necessary tool to have equality among everyone and also sees it as the governments job to help anyone that may be in need. On the other hand conservatives think government should have less influence in the lives of people, and people should be self responsible for their needs, not the government. For me, I would say I don’t really belong on either side, because I share ideas with both and think both have their flaws. To me