Conservatism II Flashcards
(24 cards)
One Nation Conservatism
They believe in the prioritisation of national unity by attending to the condition of the working classes, not just the upper class elites - this has been use by the conservative politicians to justify greater state intervention in society and the economy - lading to higher levels of public spending and taxation
EG British PM Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) embraced the importance of the idea of a ‘nation’ and saw nationalism’s potential in his 1845 novel ‘Sybil; or the two nations’.
Similiarities between traditional conservatism and one nation conservatism - human nature
They prefer organic societal structures
Modern one nation are more receptive to rationalistic concepts whilst Burke and Oakeshott are skeptical about human nature - selfish, unrational - French Rev, overestimation of human potential
Similiarities between traditional conservatism and one nation conservatism - the state
- Little platoons
- Organicism
- Should be led by the elite
Early one nation were empirically influenced and involved limited state intervention
Similiarities between traditional conservatism and one nation conservatism - society
Paternalism and noblesse oblige - one nation emphasise this more
Similiarities between traditional conservatism and one nation conservatism - economy
Free market
Both wary of capitallism:
- Traditional Con support an economy based on priv ownership but are wary of free market capitalism due to concerns about exascerbating inequality
- One Nation are aware of the risk unregulated capitalism causing social tension - need moderate state involvement in economy
New Right Conservatism
- Most famously exemplified by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan
- Could essentially be called an ‘American export’ because Conservatives placed much more emphasis on individual freedom, laissez-faire capitalism, private property and minimal government - this stemmed from the individualistic views of the USA’s founding fathers and a constitution that owed much of the philosophy of John Locke mixed with traditional Christian morality, respect for marriage and family life, and an intense patriotism
Neo-liberalism
Associated with laissez-faire, free market economics principally associated with ‘The Road to Serfdom’ - places great emphasis on private property ownership, limited gov interference in the economy and low taxation
Neo-conservatism
Less concerned with economic freedom and more interested in the restoration of authority, national identity and a society informed by Judeo-Christian morality
4 things neo-conservatives want to see in society
- Tougher approach to law and order involving more police power and stiffer sentences
- More robust approach to national defence - less conciliatory approach to the nation’s potential enemies
- Less tolerant approach to immigration - challenge to traditional nation’s identity
- Anti-permissive social policies (in respect of issues like abortion and homosexuality) and promotion of traditional family structures via the state’s tax and benefits system
5 things neo-liberals want to see in the economy
- Drastic reduction in tax
- Tighter control of government spending (monetarist likes prescribed by Friedman)
- End to dependency culture from expensive welfare state
- Deregulation and privatisation of services carried out by gov
- Neutering of ‘obstructive’ bodies wedded to ‘statist’ ideas (trade unions and local councils)
4
Ayn Rand views
- Objectivism - altruisim is evil
- Humans are at their best when no constrained by a small state
Individual freedom - positive human nature view - Selfishness is about the self - not living on the state
- Realise your own potential and respect others
Ayn Rand key quotes
‘The highest pursuit is your own happiness’
‘This life is all you have: why not make the most of it?’
4
Nozick main views
- Emphasis on a small or minarchist state - only concerned with the enforcement of contracts and protection against theft
- Defended the concept of natural justice - the justice is served by considering that which would occur naturally without state interference
- Individual fulfillment is an end in itself and we are entitled to use our resources as we see fit - claimed that whatever outcome resulted from the free exchange of labour and other resources must be a just one
- Argued that the distribution of goods as a result of the free market is a just position - but criticised the redistribution of wealth because it undermined the rights of the individual - his most famous quote is his depiction of tax as a form of ‘legalised theft’
Things traditional, one nation and new right conservatives agree on - human nature
Mostly human imperfection - no trust in rationalism - flawed from birth
They differ on the scale of human imperfection - New right takes on a form of rationality
Things traditional, one nation and new right conservatives agree on - state
Both maintain law and order - all believe a state is necessary - but traditional is interventionist but New Right is minarchist
Things traditional, one nation and new right conservatives agree on - society
Small communities and local
Society cannot exist without a state to regulate
Most social hierachies
Things traditional, one nation and new right conservatives agree on - economy
Both believe in capitalism
Traditional - Protectionist
ON - Keynesian
NR - Laissez-faire, monetarist
Things traditional, one nation and new right conservatives disagree on - human nature
Traditional - spectical view - gap between aspiration and achievement - dislike French rev
NR - More optimistic - possibilities of individuals with initiative and liberty
Nozick and Rand - positive view on what individuals can achieve in the economic sphere - pro capitalist
Things traditional, one nation and new right conservatives disagree on - society
Traditional - Political power given to those ‘born to rule’, natural ‘ruling class’ - duty and sacrifice and responsibility - pragmatic about extent of state and prepared to enlarge it
NR - Minarchist, ‘roll back the frontiers of the state’ to advance individual freedom and reverse dependency culture - hostile to principle aristocratic rule - ruling classes have too much stake in the status quo and reluctant to admit need for radical change
Things traditional, one nation and new right conservatives disagree on - state
Traditional - ‘Little platoons’, hierachael structure, ‘paternalism’, elites exercise power of the majority, organic society, place great stock on community
NR - Atomism - atomised inidividuals seeking self determination. Skeptical about preferring meritocratic society than aristocratic
Things traditional, one nation and new right conservatives disagree on - economy
Traditional - Defends economy based on private ownership, skeptical of free market capitalism, fearful its dynamic effects exascerbate inequality, threaten one nation, and fuel support for socialism
NR - Nozick zealously advocate free market economics where state functions are privatised and deregulated - where levels of tax and state spending are significantly low
Differences between traditional conservatism and one nation conservatism - human nature
One Nation doesn’t believe that human nature is as evil as traditional puts it
How did New Right Conservatism spurr on the crisis of traditional conservatism
- Characterised by spiralling inflation, mounting unemployment, unsustainable welfare spending and increased crime rates - traditional con has endorsed a post war consensus involving Keynesian economics, state welfare and social liberalism - therefore complicit in a rapidly declining economy, bloated welfare state and a ‘permissive society’
Ayn Rand’s society
Emphasises her belief in the idea of the individual
Consists of atomism: millions of autonomous individuals each independently seeking self-fulfilment and self-realisation. Her ideas provide the justification for the New right’s ideas of ‘rolling back the frontiers of the state’
A Libertarian thinker, but she values the state - to her, liberty is impossible without a state
