Compare and contrast the political ideologies of liberalism and conservatism

Compare and contrast the political ideologies of liberalism and conservatism

Liberalism refers to a political and moral philosophy based on freedom and consent of the electorate governed by justice and equality before the law. Liberals exert an array of views depending on their comprehension of the governing principles. They advocate for free trade, free markets, limited government and individual rights such as civil and human rights, secularism,m democracy, capitalism, gender equality, racial equality, freedom of speech, religion, and the press and internationalism. Liberalism quickly identifies with the color yellow. Liberalism grew exponentially during the age of enlightenment among philosophers and economists. It was during this era where people started to question the doctrine of hereditary privilege, state religion, divine rights of kings, and absolute monarchy. Among the tenets fought against by liberalists were royal monopolies, barriers to trade, and the tyrannical rule of law. Changes in conducting business and free markets became the chorus among philosophers. John Locke gets credit for being the founding liberalist in a distinct tradition referencing social contrasts emphasizing the individuality of life. He argued that every man has a right to life, liberty, and owning property, rights which the government should not violate.

British liberal tradition emphasized on democracy while the french emphasized on nation-building. During the American Revolution of 1776 and the French revolution of 1789, liberalism contributed to overthrowing the royal tyranny. It is after the revolution that liberalism spread across the nations. Liberal governments established liberal countries across France, Europe, and the United States. The ideology spread wide by using republicanism alongside liberalism to critique governments on behalf of the citizens. In the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East, there was a rise in secularism and constitutionalism in the early 20th century. Among other factors, these changes made it possible to develop peace in Islam, leading to Islamic revival that stands to this day. Before then, there was an opposition between Islam and communism. The establishment of liberalism in American and Europe became a substantial factor in the expansion of welfare states. Today, open-mindedness applies in politics and parties riding on their ideologies continue to wield influence and power throughout the world.however, liberalism is yet to acclimatize in African and Asian politics completely.

The fundamental ideologies of liberalism make up our contemporary societies. During the early waves of popularisation, economic individualism was expanding in both government and society. There was the establishment of the law allowing individuals to exercise their rights and freedoms freely. The inclusion in judicial maters gave birth to independent juries and pubic trials and the abolition of privilege.it is from these roots that activism and fight for civil rights as we know it today became possible. Liberals still fight for gender equality and inclusion on a global scale. Liberalism in Europe is categorized into two, moderates and progressives. Moderates promote elitism while Progressive liberalism advocates for universalization of core institutions like education, rights, and freedoms advancements, and universal suffering.unfortunately. Moderates overshadowed progressives overtime.

The philosophy of liberalism is a political and intellectual tradition that began before the 17th century. Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor, appraised liberalism as an idea politely administers concerning equal rights and equal freedoms of speech and the concept of a kingly government which respects most of all the freedom of those it governs. Familiar ideologies that represent long intellectual tradition have been propagated with time. Unfamiliarity with what liberalism represents leads to an unhinged opinion on a message of wealth and diversity, which is simply a percentage of its formulation.

Classical liberalism was the founding principle that permeated the constitution and the government. Many liberalists opposed slavery and begun the change towards equal rights for women. 19th century set a precedent for liberalism culminating in a long list of achievements from economic growth, international peace to stability, and international trade. It was due to this struggle for rights that saw the death of millions of people fighting against oppression and dictatorial governments. Ideas on liberty survived through civil wars, and everything good about modern liberalism borrows from the collective power of classical liberalism. Modern liberalism is more complicated as it varies in ideas. Defining it as a state of unrestricted rights and freedoms does not cut across all forms of modernism. Modern liberals have little to no regard for the law. They, for example, believe in the legalization of marijuana, whether for recreation or medical purposes. Yet the same group is irked by cancer patients’ denial of experimental treatments. These views reflect in politics where liberals support restricting the role of financial capital but want no impeachment on real money such as from printing press, broadcasting facilities, and organizational capital like labor unions. The difference between modern liberalists and conservatives is that conservatives stick to the opposition in totality, not partially.

Conservatism

Conservatism is a social philosophy and political concept that promotes traditional social institutions in culture and context. The central tenets of this ideology are organic society, authority, hierarchy, and property rights. Conservatives desire to maintain institutions like religion, a structured government and stipulated rights to own property. These set standards aim to maintain social stability and continuity in a properly organized way with one source of power. The more traditional concept is “returning things to the way they were.” The term was initially used in 1818 by François-René de Chateaubriand during the Bourbon Restoration. At this time, the political atmosphere centered on rolling back policies to their original state before the French Revolution. The term conservatism defines a wide range of views. The greatest challenge in defining conservatism is that there is no standard for what is considered tradition; hence the definition is coined by different sectors depending on what they regard as tradition. Therefore, conservatives across the world uphold different cultures and may disagree on views. Edmund Burke is the father of conservatism vehement in opposing the French Revolution in the 1790s.

Quintin Hoh in 1959 states, “conservatism is not so much a philosophy as an attitude, a constant force, performing a timeless function in the development of a free society and corresponding to a deep and permanent requirement of human nature itself.” Political theorists define conservatism as a defense for social and economic instability. With this definition comes the less traditional perspective that conservatism is an attempt at upholding traditional institutions a rendition of the existence of power under threat and trying to win it back. The ideologies of this concept exude a selfish nature of political giants and conservatives to remain in force and protect their interests, whereas it should defend the inalienable rights of the governed and promote values to stand eternal.

There are different types of conservatism, depending on the social, political, and economic circles. Liberal conservatism applies both ideologies of liberalism and conservatism by incorporating minimal government interference with the rights and freedoms of the citizens. It promotes freedom of citizens to engage in market and trade and create riches without intimidation from the government. Despite being free in the market, there are limitations as citizens cannot be fully trusted to act responsibly on their own. The addition of laws governing trade and the practice of freedoms is a means of establishing a sense of duty and responsibility. Conservative liberalism, on the other hand, refers to liberalism that seeks to maintain some traditions. Conservative liberals made up most European countries’ political up until World War II. Conservatives, especially in the United States, believe the government needs not to pay attention to a business or the economy. They consistently oppose any efforts to raise taxes and distribute wealth to the poor as they believe people should work hard for a reward. National conservatism describes a group of conservatives predominantly found in Europe who concentrate more on national interests agendas that common traditions. These conservatives are usually eurosceptics gravitating towards traditional family and social stability and limiting immigration. These conservatives defer from economic conservatives in that economic conservatives prioritize free markets, deregulation, and economic changes. Majority parties are lead by economic conservatives, which have widened the gap they have marginalized citizens socially, culturally, and nationally because of their belief in reaping where you sow. Cultural and social conservatism aims to preserve a nation’s heritage not confined to a national boundary. The shared culture brings a sense of identity and belonging, and citizens can identify with it regardless of where they are. In cultural conservatism, traditional ways of thinking, even in the face of catastrophic change, are not deterred. Social conservatism is different from cultural conservatism as society stems from fragile relationships that need upholding through the establishment of duty and institutions. The government has a role to play in preserving virtues, norms, and morality in a social setup. Nordic countries and continental Europe refers to social conservatism as supporting welfare states. Many countries incline towards pro-life positions in the abortion debate and strongly oppose embryonic stem cell research programs. They oppose euthanasia, human enhancements, and support marriage as a monogamous institution between one man and a woman. They propagate censorship of pornography, indecency and have a high moral code. Social conservatives in the United States support the death penalty. Religious conservatism is the root of most virtues. Teachings from various religious groups proclaim the moral code and decisions on abortion, sex, and LGBT behavior.

Despite the varying degrees of thought, there is no one thought superior to another. Just as there are extremists in religion and sports, so are there are extremists in philosophy. For every argument raised in a democratic society, there is a counter-argument. It is challenging to examine the involvement of the government or not in a society steered by different cultures. But what we need to understand is how to use them for the good of every citizen. The rights and freedoms of citizens only work in an enabling environment where individuals know their rights, and the government protects these rights. The governments’ mandate is to protect its citizens from extortion and provide necessary key services which individuals are unable to produce. Conservatives, one the other hand, need a standard on the commonalities of life. Exemptions to particular virtues in new cases may lead to breaking away from the ideal norms. But with the proper understanding of perspectives, politics and national government should be secure.

The problem comes in when everyone seeks their interest. Freedoms and rights are useless without the proper state to practice. Freedom of the press is pointless without economic power to buy a newspaper. Or the right to association is without the right to own property. Russia demonstrated the worthlessness of freedoms without economic power when international chess star Garry Kasparov challenged President Vladimir Putin’s successor. Each candidate is required by law to be endorsed in a meeting with more than 500 citizens, but Putin’s pressure ensured no landlord rented out his premised to Kasparov, forcing him to withdraw from the race. Whichever side of thought individuals belong to, without economic empowerment, their voice is silent.