Pros Of Conservatism

Conservatism is a political thought that first arose as a result of the significant changes in both politics and economics that occurred during the French revolution in the 18th century and that challenge the old regime. Conservatism was resistant to the different changes that were occurring in that period of history. As the word conservatism indicates, all the different types of conservative thought, attempt to conserve specific ideas, policies and tradition within a state. Nonetheless, the elements that want to be preserved and the extent to which things they should be conserved differ according to the place and period of time considered. Therefore, conservatism does not follow an established ideology and different branches of it exist. Despite

On one hand, reactionary conservatives believe that the political state of a society should return to the past as they oppose modernism and most importantly, because they think that there are several fundamentals like discipline that are absent in our society (Kuehnelt-Leddihn, 1993). On the other hand, Anglo-American conservatisms is more flexible towards change, as they believe that change is something natural and that it should not be completely avoided as it is necessary in order to conserve things. One example of the flexibility of British conservatism towards change, was the support of the dissolution of the British absolute monarchy during the 17th

Authority figures are required as a source of guidance, experience and knowledge to individuals that need directions or that lack the skills to effectively defend their interests. In addition, as mentioned before, in order to control social disorder and crime, authority is required to impose laws and punishment and to tell individuals what is expected from them (O’Sullivan, 1976). Most conservative views, defend that authority is something essential, but at the same time it should be limited so that the individual freedom is respected. This is the case of soft paternalism, which sees authority as a mean of protecting and increasing people’s welfare. One example of soft paternalism is laws that make the use of motorcycle helmets obligatory. Conversely, authoritarian conservatism argues that authority should be imposed with or without the approval of the population as complete obedience is the only way to achieve social order. Thus, authority figures have the absolute control over the population. This practice was adopted in Russia during the reign of Tsar Nicholas I (1825-1855). On the other hand, liberal conservatism prioritizes liberty over authority in economic and social matters as they believe that free markets are efficient and also they can control individuals and their