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Mind Map by Dominic Ramsay, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Dominic Ramsay
over 10 years ago
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Conservatism
- Origins
- Opposition to the
Enlightenment. In particular,
the French Revolution
- Principles laid out in
Burke's 'Reflections on
the Revolution in France'
(1790)
- Conservative thought in a general sense had been emerging for a century as
ruling class figures had attempted to give an ideological aspect to their
resistance to demands for responsible government. In Britain, this took the form
of 'Toryism
- Burke had actually opposed the Torys as a
member of the Whig Party. This shows that his
arguments were not serving a vested interest, but
were the product of ideolical process
- Burke had actually opposed the Torys as a
member of the Whig Party. This shows that his
arguments were not serving a vested interest, but
were the product of ideolical process
- Conservative thought in a general sense had been emerging for a century as
ruling class figures had attempted to give an ideological aspect to their
resistance to demands for responsible government. In Britain, this took the form
of 'Toryism
- Opposition to the
Enlightenment. In particular,
the French Revolution
- Tradition
- Is a view of society based on the inheritance of
institutions and practises from the past. Implies that
respect is given to these and that they will be
maintained in the present and transmitted to the
future.
- Institutions transmitted from the past hold society
together. They guarantee the rights and privelges of all
sections of society.
- Without these, there could no guarantee of
anyone's rights, freedoms or property. It was
this feature of the first year of the French
Revolution that alarmed Burke, and would
later become known as 'The Terror'
- The British sytem was the product of British History and society. By
cutting themselves of from thier past, the French could not simply
recreate the British system in France. Instead they were only preparing
the ground for a tyranny far worse than the one they'd destroyed. This is shown by the rise of Napoleon
- The British sytem was the product of British History and society. By
cutting themselves of from thier past, the French could not simply
recreate the British system in France. Instead they were only preparing
the ground for a tyranny far worse than the one they'd destroyed. This is shown by the rise of Napoleon
- Without these, there could no guarantee of
anyone's rights, freedoms or property. It was
this feature of the first year of the French
Revolution that alarmed Burke, and would
later become known as 'The Terror'
- Institutions transmitted from the past hold society
together. They guarantee the rights and privelges of all
sections of society.
- Tradition - Monarchy, Organised Religion,
Family and all other Social andPolitical
Institutions - is the basis of any stable
society.
- Is legitimate because it has existed and functioned
for many generates. Institutions that function
properly should not be altered because it does not
fit with an ideological stance, it is justified because
it works.
- The basis for Conservative defence of the House of Lords
- Explain Conservative opposition to attempts to spread
Democracy. They arue that this will undermine and disrupt
societies that are subject to these actions and thus will
produce disorder and new tyrannies as opposed to Liberal
Freedom
- They do support change if it is to preserve the
traditional order 'Change in order to Conserve'
- The basis for Conservative defence of the House of Lords
- Is legitimate because it has existed and functioned
for many generates. Institutions that function
properly should not be altered because it does not
fit with an ideological stance, it is justified because
it works.
- Tradition helps people deal with a
lack of security as succcess in
the past seems to guarantee
success in the future
- Justified as 'God's will' 'Democracy of
the Dead' ' Fitness to survive' 'Sense of
belonging' and a fear of radical change.
- Is a view of society based on the inheritance of
institutions and practises from the past. Implies that
respect is given to these and that they will be
maintained in the present and transmitted to the
future.
- Human Imperfection
- Perceived as having three
aspects: Psychological, Moral
and Intellectual
- Psychological: Rejects Liberal Rational Individualism, Conservatives see
humans as weak and security seeking. They are
dependent on social frameworks to make sense of society
and their role in it
- A Social Hierarchy deals with this problem. Every
individual has his or her place with its own clear role,
and rights as well as duties.
- A hierarchy dominated by what
Disraeli described as 'natural
leaders' is calculated to produce
social peace and harmony
- People are ready to defer to their
betters becasue their betters are fitted
and trained to peform their role at the top
of society
- People are ready to defer to their
betters becasue their betters are fitted
and trained to peform their role at the top
of society
- A hierarchy dominated by what
Disraeli described as 'natural
leaders' is calculated to produce
social peace and harmony
- A Social Hierarchy deals with this problem. Every
individual has his or her place with its own clear role,
and rights as well as duties.
- Moral: Flows from the idea that, left to themselves, humans will easily
fall into socially disruptive behaviour. Most humans lack innate moral
values.
- They do not understand the need for social
order and for respect for the rights of others.
Thus the state has a duty as well as a right to
exercise authority.
- They do not understand the need for social
order and for respect for the rights of others.
Thus the state has a duty as well as a right to
exercise authority.
- Intellectual: The world is so complex as to be beyond
the understanding of ordinary humans
- Used as a justification for religion
as it gives meaning to an
incomprehensible world
- Used as a justification for religion
as it gives meaning to an
incomprehensible world
- Psychological: Rejects Liberal Rational Individualism, Conservatives see
humans as weak and security seeking. They are
dependent on social frameworks to make sense of society
and their role in it
- Leads to a belief in Pragmatism = The belief that
behaviour should be shaped in accordance with practical
circumstances and goals rather than ideological principles,
beliefs or objectives
- Perceived as having three
aspects: Psychological, Moral
and Intellectual
- Organic Society
- Is a metaphor comparing society with a human
body. In line with this, any healthy society requires
all its constituent parts to be healthy and fulfilling
their proper roles in harmony with each other
- This is used to justify the use of
Keynesian Economics and the Welfare
State to keep society prosperous and
stables
- This is used to justify the use of
Keynesian Economics and the Welfare
State to keep society prosperous and
stables
- Shared values are essential as these will prevent
social conflict. This leads Conservatives to oppose
Multiculturalism as it accepts cultures that are in
conflict with traditional values and sows the seeds for
future social conflict
- Hierarchy is essential to such a society as
authority flows down the structure, while
obedience and deference flow up
- Superiors have a right and a duty to
exercise authority over those beneath them.
- Superiors have a right and a duty to
exercise authority over those beneath them.
- The New Right challenge this view with the
atomic model, at least when discussing the
Free Market
- Holistic view of Society as
being more than the sum of
its parts
- Leads Conservatives to the belief that what is
‘good’ is what is in the best interests of society
- Leads Conservatives to believe that political action
should be introduced that benefits society – even if
that goes against the interests of individuals
- Leads Conservatives to the belief that what is
‘good’ is what is in the best interests of society
- All nations have a ‘natural spirit’ or
‘Volkgeist’ – a shared collected history of
traditions, morals, customs and practices
which act as means of binding
- Is a metaphor comparing society with a human
body. In line with this, any healthy society requires
all its constituent parts to be healthy and fulfilling
their proper roles in harmony with each other
- Property
- Used as a metaphor to justify
tradition. We should respect traditional
institutions because we inherit them
just as we inherit property
- Property became a traditional institution as it had proved its
worth by being the means for society to undertake production
and exchange. Property was also the core of social hierarchy.
- Possession of property has
a transformational effect on
people
- Property Ownership makes people less
likely to resort to crime, perceiving that
respecting the property rights of others
safeguards their own property
- Makes people supportive of the structure of
society, which has enabled them to become
property owners. Also makes them supportive
of prescribed authority which protects their
porperty
- Makes people supportive of the
family, because it's the means to
transmit their property to their heirs.
- Almost mythical quality for Conservatives as it mitigates the
worst features of Human Nature. This is why post 1945
Conservatives advocated 'Property Owning Democracy', as by
giving large numbers of lower class people property, they gain a
stake in society thus bringing stablitity
- Property Ownership makes people less
likely to resort to crime, perceiving that
respecting the property rights of others
safeguards their own property
- Used as a metaphor to justify
tradition. We should respect traditional
institutions because we inherit them
just as we inherit property
- One Nation Conservatism
- Paternalism = Metaphor allocating the roles
expected of a father (duty to install
morality, but also to provde for the family)
onto the state
- Those at the head have a duty of care to their
inferior ranks. This is often expressed in the term
'Noblesse Oblige'
- Fits well with the traditional
Conservative view of human nature,
especially the security seeking aspect,
- Those at the head have a duty of care to their
inferior ranks. This is often expressed in the term
'Noblesse Oblige'
- Disraeli developed One Nation
Conservatism to prevent Britain
being divided into 'two nations' of
rich and poor
- Did this by introducing social reforms
to ease British poverty
- Did this by introducing social reforms
to ease British poverty
- Was the dominant theory of Conservatism during
the Post War Consensus. Harold Macmillan
developed 'the Middle Way'
- Paternalism = Metaphor allocating the roles
expected of a father (duty to install
morality, but also to provde for the family)
onto the state
- The New Right
- Originated as a result of the economic stagflation during global
economic crisis of 73-76 and 79-81. New Right Conservatives
arued in favour of supply side economics in a policy that
became known as 'monetarism'
- Saw the crisis of the 1970's as primarily a failure of
social morality. The remedy was for this was to rigoursly
enforce public order, as shown by Thatcher's treatment
of IRA terrorists as ordinary criminals.
- Influenced by the
'Chicago School'
- Saw the crisis of the 1970's as primarily a failure of
social morality. The remedy was for this was to rigoursly
enforce public order, as shown by Thatcher's treatment
of IRA terrorists as ordinary criminals.
- Is a hybrid of Traditional Conservative
Social Policy and Classical/Neo Liberal
Free Market Policy
- At odds with the traditional
organic view of society in
favour of an atomic one.
- Often critisized for abandoning several key
features of Conservative thought in favour of
Classical Liberal Ones
- At odds with the traditional
organic view of society in
favour of an atomic one.
- Belief that the family was being undermined as
children were being provided for by state welfare as
opposed to their parents
- Originated as a result of the economic stagflation during global
economic crisis of 73-76 and 79-81. New Right Conservatives
arued in favour of supply side economics in a policy that
became known as 'monetarism'
- Key Thinkers
- Thomas Hobbes -
Author of Leviathon
- Benjamin Disraeli - Author of 'The Two Nations or Sybil'
- Edmund Burke -
Reflections on the
Revolution in France
- Harold Macmillan -
The Middle Way
- Micheal Oakshott - Practical
Knowledge vs Technical Knowledge
- Roger Scruton -
Social Knowledge
- Chicago School - Milton
Friedman and Fredrich Hayek
- Thomas Hobbes -
Author of Leviathon
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