The Importance of Social Stability and Economic Freedom to Conservatism
Traditionally Conservatism has generally focussed on both social
stability and economic freedom, believing that the two are inherently
intertwined.
The central theme of Conservative thought, namely “the desire to
conserve”, is closely linked to the emphasis placed on respect for
tradition, established customs and institutions that have endured the
“test of time”. Conservatives fervently believe that tradition
reflects the accumulated wisdom of the past, and that institutions and
customs which have been tested by time, should all be preserved for
the benefit of the living and for those still to come. In this way,
tradition is believed to have the virtue of promoting stability and
security within society as it provides individuals with a sense of
social and historical belonging. This is underpinned by the
conservative’s pessimistic view of human nature, believing humans to
be naturally dependent and security-seeking creatures, drawn to the
familiar and desiring to live in safe and orderly communities.
Conservatives have traditionally viewed society as an organic whole or
a living entity whose parts work together in the same fashion the
brain, heart and lungs do in a human body. If society is organic, its
various institutions have been shaped by natural necessity and forces
so as to provide security and social cohesion. Any attempts to alter
this structure are thus fraught with danger as reform or change may
lead to the collapse of society. Conservatives have therefore been
suspicious of change and have generally adopted a pragmatic approach
believing in cha...
... middle of paper ...
...bout by
rigorous economic policies such as high unemployment, by encouraging
people to help themselves before claiming benefits.
Conservatism has been concerned with both social stability and
economic freedom over the years. The measure of importance given to
each concept has alternated from time to time depending on the
dominant mood at different points in time and the prevailing
circumstances. Conservatives have adapted their policies to suit
current demands, whilst ensuring that “economic freedom” and “social
stability” have remained central tenets of conservative thought
throughout history. At some time one concept has been more dominant
than the other and vice versa. Nonetheless, Conservatives believe that
the tw2o are very much intertwined and that there can be no social
stability without economic freedom.
Though “conservatism” and “conformity” were the catchphrases of the period there were nonconformity too. Dysfunctional families were there. Youth who were not satisfactory revolted against norms.
It is obvious the Republican Party has no brains. If they elect Donald Trump to run for president, they are going to lose big time. They can blame themselves for being so stupid. The establishment runs the Republican Party. They are the ones who lose major elections. The leadership of the Republican Party shifts the blame to conservative wing of the Republican Party; however, it is the moderate wing of the Republican Party who loses elections. Does John McClain ring a bell? If the Republican Party hopes to win the presidency, they must run a conservative or face another trouncing in the next election. It is that simple. Therefore, the Republicans had better wake up fast if they want to
Leading up to the year 1981, America had fallen into a period of “stagflation”, a portmanteau for ‘stagnant economies’ and ‘high inflation’. Characterized by high taxes, high unemployment, high interest rates, and low national income, America needed to look to something other than Keynesian economics to pull itself out of this low. During the 1980 election, Ronald Reagan’s campaign focused on a new stream of economic policy. His objective was to turn the economy into “a healthy, vigorous, growing economy [which would provide] equal opportunities for all Americans, with no barriers born of bigotry or discrimination.” Reagan’s policy, later known as ‘Reaganomics’, entailed a four-point plan which cut taxes, reduced government spending, created anti-inflationary policy, and deregulated certain products.
For the past century, the United States has been regarded as the greatest hegemonic power in the world. The U.S. played the most important role in the advancement of mankind from social, political, scientific, military, and economic standpoint. Unfortunately, today this is no longer true. Since the 1980’s the U.S. has been on a gradual decline. The introduction and implementation of trickle down economics, otherwise known as “Reaganomics,” has contributed greatly to the systemic dismantling of the socioeconomic structure that made America great.
In the late1960’s American politics were shifting at a National level with liberalism being less supported as its politics were perceived as flawed, both by people on the left who thought that liberalism was not as effective as more radical political enterprises and by conservatives who believed that liberal politics were ostensibly crippling the American economy.
Looking at the United States in 1965, it would seem that the future of the liberal consensus was well entrenched. The anti-war movement was in full swing, civil rights were moving forward, and Johnson's Great Society was working to alleviate the plight of the poor in America. Yet, by 1968 the liberal consensus had fallen apart, which led to the triumph of conservatism with the election of President Reagan in 1980. The question must be posed, how in the course of 15 years did liberal consensus fall apart and conservatism rise to the forefront? What were the decisive factors that caused the fracturing of what seemed to be such a powerful political force? In looking at the period from 1968 to the triumph of Reagan in 1980, America was shaken to the core by the Watergate scandal, the stalling of economic growth, gas shortages, and the Vietnam War. In an era that included the amount of turbulence that the 1970's did, it is not difficult to imagine that conservatism come to power. In this paper I will analyze how the liberal consensus went from one of its high points in 1965 to one of its lows in 1968. From there I will show how conservatism rose to power by the 1980 elections. In doing so, I will look at how factors within the American economy, civil rights issues, and political workings of the United States contributed to the fracturing of the liberal consensus and the rise of conservatism.
The Consumers’ Republic began in 1933 when Franklin Roosevelt launched the New Deal to fix the American economy after the Great Depression. The New Deal allowed more government intervention to strategically invest in industries which created more production and jobs opportunities. The New Deal was slow to fix the Great Depression, but when World War II came into play in 1937 production was booming and many jobs were created due to the need for military production. This era, called the age of mass consumption or “The Golden Age of Capitalism”, revitalized the health of the American economy, but was also an ideological weapon in the political struggle of the Cold War era. The United States explained how the mass consumption of cars, new homes,
Conservatives, on the contrary believe that public social welfare services should be funded and controlled by the public. They believe in personal responsibility, limited government; in fact the lowest decentralized level of government that is possible. Conservatives deem that decision-making at the level of the individual states is preferable to federal supervision. “Conservatives are less inclined to support widespread entitlement programs which provide for the welfa...
During class, the Progressive Era from 1890-1916 was discussed. The countless reforms happened in the Progressive Era were bound to be controversial. Nevertheless, based on our study, it was my contention that the Progressive Era was successful on account of the changes made on social welfare and on the role of presidents.
Capitalism, if you want to know what it is this will tell you, it is a place where you can get all the J’s, Nike’s, or if you like Adidas. Capitalism is an economic and political system that makes up a country's industry and trade which is made up of private companies separate from the government unlike socialism. Capitalism is the best economic system to allow your company to grow and succeed in a country's economy.
In philosophy there are many words that mean different meaning. Some of the words that we studied in philosophy really changed the way I thought about those words. The words that really made a difference I the way I thought are pragmatism, realism, liberalism, conservatism and ideology. These words really made me think in a whole different way.
The American middle class is defined as a social class in the United States. It is the class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy. There are people in the United States middle class as well as other countries and this class of people has specific issues and interests that they are concerned with. Issues such as the health care reform, the financial reform, making college affordable, and housing. By dealing with these specific issues, the middle class has to vote, making them the middle class voters. In the middle class, there are four sections and all three make up the middle class. And in that middle class are the middle class voters, a small chuck of it. The middle class has been considered as homogenous, but with that different
one may ask whether or not the ideas and goals of classical liberalism have been
The poor gets poorer, and the rich gets richer. Economically speaking, this is the truth about Capitalism. Numerous people agree that this inequality shows the greedy nature of humankind. The author of the source displays a capitalist perspective that encompasses an individualist approach towards an “un-ideal” economic system. The source articulates a prominent idea that capitalism is far from perfect. The reality is, as long as capitalism exists, there are always those people who are too poor or too rich in the system. We do not need elitists in our society but that is exactly what capitalists are. In this society, people are in clash with those who “have” and those who “have not”, which creates conflict and competition. Throughout
Today, more than ever, there is great debate over politics and which economic system works the best. How needs and wants should be allocated, and who should do the allocating, is one of the most highly debated topics in our current society. Be it communist dictators defending a command economy, free market conservatives defending a market economy, or European liberals defending socialism, everyone has an opinion. While all systems have flaws and merits, it must be decided which system is the best for all citizens. When looking at both the financial well being of all citizens, it is clear that market economies fall short on ensuring that the basic needs of all citizens are met. If one looks at liberty and individual freedom, it is evident that command economies tend to oppress their citizens. Therefore, socialism, which allows for basic needs to be met and personal freedoms to be upheld, is the best economic system for all of a country’s citizens.