Liberal conservatism

(noun)

Ideologies that combine the advocacy of laissez-faire economic principles, such as respect for contracts, defense of private property and free markets with the belief in notions such as natural inequality, the importance of religion and the value of traditional morality through a framework of limited, constitutional, representative government.

Related Terms

Examples of Liberal conservatism in the following topics:

  • Conservatism

    • Liberal conservatism is a variant of conservatism that combines conservative values and policies with classical liberal stances.
    • Historically, the term referred to combination of economic liberalism, which champions laissez-faire markets, with the classical conservatism concern for established tradition, respect for authority, and religious values.
    • It contrasted itself with classical liberalism, which supported freedom for the individual in both the economic and social spheres.
    • Social conservatism is distinct from cultural conservatism, although there are some overlaps.
    • The meaning of "conservatism" in America has little in common with the way the word is used elsewhere, since what most Americans consider conservatism is what much of the world considers liberalism or neoliberalism.

  • From Political Values to Ideology

    • Core American political values general fall in line with one of three political ideologies: liberalism, conservatism, or moderate.
    • People who value change and a greater emphasis on collective equality tend to relate to the ideology of liberalism.
    • Contrastingly, people who value tradition and the status quo will relate more to conservatism.
    • Moderates hold an ideology somewhere in between liberalism and conservatism.
    • Differentiate between the political ideologies of liberals, conservatives, and moderates and discuss how they relate to American political values

  • Political Ideology

    • Among those who do identify as either liberal or conservative, few identify as "far left" or "far right. " Most Americans either identify as "moderate" or as "somewhat" liberal or conservative.
    • American conservatism commonly refers to a combination of economic liberalism and social conservatism and to an extent, libertarianism.
    • Liberalism and conservatism are the most common ideologies in the U.S., apart from those who identify as moderate.
    • Moderates, who may be left or right leaning, incorporate different aspects from liberalism and conservatism into their personal perspective.
    • Libertarians commonly hold liberal views on social issues but conservative views on economic issues.

  • The Republican Party

    • The Republican Party is a major political party in the U.S, along with the Democratic Party; its platform reflects American conservatism.
    • Currently the party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S. political spectrum.
    • American conservatism of the Republican Party is not wholly based upon rejection of the political ideology of liberalism, as many principles of American conservatism are based upon classical liberalism.
    • Rather the Republican Party's conservatism is largely based upon its support of classical principles against the modern liberalism of the Democratic Party that is considered American liberalism in contemporary American political discourse.
    • Prior to the formation of the conservative coalition, which helped realign the Democratic and Republican Party ideologies in the mid-1960s, the party historically advocated classical liberalism, paleo-conservatism, and progressivism.

  • The Modern Era of Political Parties

    • Roosevelt, which has strongly influenced American liberalism, has shaped much of the party's agenda since 1932, and Roosevelt's New Deal coalition controlled the White House until 1968.
    • Today, the Republican Party supports an American conservative platform, with foundations in economic liberalism, fiscal conservatism, and social conservatism.

  • Liberalism

    • Both modern American conservatism and social liberalism split from Classical Liberalism in the early 20th century.
    • Conversely social liberals adopted the Classical Liberal belief in defending social civil liberties.
    • Conservatism shares an ideological agreement on limited government in the area of preventing government restriction against economic civil liberties as embodied in the ability of people to sell their goods, services or labor to anyone they choose free from restriction except in rare cases where society's general welfare is at stake.
    • Many fundamental elements of modern society have liberal roots.
    • In the 1960s and 1970s, feminism in the United States was advanced in large part by liberal feminist organizations.Many liberals also have advocated for racial equality, and the civil rights movement in the United States during the 1960s strongly highlighted the liberal crusade for equal rights.

  • Conclusion: Political Crises in the 70s and 80s

    • The 1970s and 80s were marked by the continuation of the Cold War and its proxy wars around the world, as well as a rise in both conservatism and liberal social movements at home.
    • Leading the so-called Reagan Revolution, he appealed to voters with the promise that the principles of conservatism could halt and revert the social and economic changes of the last generation.

  • The New Right

    • For these and other efforts, Reagan was attacked by liberals at the time as a dangerous warmonger, but conservative historians assert that he decisively won the Cold War.
    • In defining conservatism, Reagan said, "If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism.
    • I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberals—if we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories.
    • The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is. " Reagan's views on government were influenced by Thomas Jefferson, especially his hostility to strong central governments.

  • Gothic Architecture and Sculpture

    • With the "rational" and "radical" Neoclassical style being seen as associated with republicanism and liberalism (as evidenced by its use in the United States and to a lesser extent in Republican France), the more "spiritual" and "traditional" Gothic Revival became associated with the monarchy and conservatism, which was reflected by the choice of styles for the rebuilt Palace of Westminster in London and Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

  • Compassionate Conservatism

    • In "compassionate conservatism," a philosophy  espoused by President George W.
    • Compassionate conservatism has been defined as the belief that conservatism and compassion complement each other.
    • Bush began his presidency hoping to make compassionate conservatism his centerpiece.
    • Perhaps one of the greatest examples of compassionate conservatism is the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
    • Bush have criticized the phrase "compassionate conservatism" as simply sugarcoating traditional conservatism to make it sound more appealing to moderate voters.