✅ Origins of the conservative party

Organic society=

society is seen as a living entity, where the ‘we’ is more important than the ‘I’ and where traditional values, institutions + a common culture bind the people together

Pragmatism=?

the belief that action should be shaped by practical circumstances + practical goals, that is, by ‘what works’ rather than abstract principles or systems of thought

Tradition=?

in the Conservative view, tradition reflects the accumulated wisdom of the past, and institutions + practices that have been ‘tested by time’

Paternalism=?

acting in the interests of others who are unable to make informed moral decisions, supposedly as fathers do in relation to children

Origins of conservatism

• Conservative party emerged in the 1st half of the 19th century + was heir to the old Tory party, conservatism was a reaction to the french + Industrial Revolution, which conservatives was as a threat to traditional political + religious authority in the UK

Conservatism established itself as?

• Conservatism established itself as a pragmatic view of the world that was rooted in its understanding of human nature as imperfect, was sceptical about radical change + ideology + favoured tradition

When did the Conservative Party come into existence?

• No point in time when the Conservative Party came into existence, in a modern sense it came into existence in the 1830s under leadership of Robert peel, since then the party has gradually developed a more formal structure + membership

What was the Conservative Party largely engaged in for most of the 19th + part of the 20th century

• resisting the reforms proposed by the whigs + later the liberals, it stood for tradition + stability (conservatism)

What did conservatives fight against for most of the 20th century?

• the growing force of socialism, in this conflict it became a strong supporter of free-market capitalism + individualism

When did thatcher become leader + what did she do?

• In 1975 Thatcher became leader of the party, between then + her 1990 downfall, she transformed the party, modelling it on her own political philosophy known as ‘Thatcherism’, ‘neoliberalism’ + ‘neo-conservatism’

Conservative Party origins can be traced back to

the Tory party of the late 17th century, an aristocratic group that came together in defence of the historic privileges of the crown + Church of England as powerful landowning institutions

Conservative Party by the 1830s:

under leadership of PM Peel it was evolving into a party dedicated the defence of property + traditional authority against the threat of revolution

What did peel stress the importance of?

gradual reform in order to protect/conserve established institutions

Conservative Party success in late 19+20th centuries

the party was remarkably successful in the late 19th+20th centuries, broadening its support by appealing to the middle-class as well as the land-owning aristocracy

Conservatism emphasises the need for?

change to conserve: slow gradual change, rather than radical reform, based on pragmatism that conserves the best of existing political, social + economic institutions.

What did conservatisms slow change idea fit w?

conservatives; scepticism abt the power of human reason to understand the complex world we live in + their belief in the organic society

The flexibility of the pragmatic approach allowed Conservative Party to?

emerge as the party of property, gradual reform in-order to benefit all classes bound together in the organic society + of furthering British national interest abroad

2 main strands of conservatism in the UK

One nation conservatism + Thatcherism

definition of 1NC

at its core, it aims to heal the divisions in society to reinforce the ties that bind people together + to ensure everyone has the opportunity to flourish

What can 1NC be traced back to?

• Generally traced back to Benjamin Disraeli, who was PM in 1867 + 1874-80, he warned of the dangers of the divisions between 2 nations - the rich + the poor- and therefore believed that the conditions of the working class needed to be improved to bring together the 2 nations into one

1 N conservatism was paternalistic because?

it strived to create social unity by using the state to provide a safety net for the least well-off so they could have a measure of independence to make choices for themselves, however the role of the state was to remain small, w individuals + the wider community also encouraged to provide support + aid to the least well-off

During the post-war period, 1 N conservatives, such as Harold MacMillan PM 1957-63 + Edward heath PM 1970-74, saw the state as playing an important role in?

promoting economic growth, providing a welfare state paid for by higher levels of taxation + seeing the trade unions as playing an important role in society

1 N conservatives, such as Harold MacMillan PM 1957-63 + Edward heath PM 1970-74s’ promotion of social unity did what to conservatism?

typified conservatism, as it was sceptical about any great ideological ideas to transform society + aimed to conserve the existing social, political + economic order

What did the 2019 election see?

a redrawing of the electoral map of the UK, many communities + constituencies that had formerly supported the Labour Party, returned a conservative MP , dozens of so-called ‘red wall’ seats in the midlands + north ‘turned blue’, seats that had evaded even thatchers 1980s landslides were won by the tories in 2019

Some of the tories red wall success can be attributed to ?

the 1 N C appeal of Johnson’s brand of conservatism + it offered the conservatives an opportunity to become the kind of expansive party which appealed across traditional class loyalties

During 2019 Johnson regularly proclaimed the govt’s commitment to?

‘levelling up’ and ‘building back better’ with a pledge to increase public spending levels to those not seen since the 1950s.

The main consequence of Johnsons 2019 pledge would have been ?

a significantly growing tax burden for households + businesses

What has led many to conclude that the conservatives are entering a new distinct phase of ‘1NC’

• Commitments to spend the largest proportion of GDP on public spending since the 1970s, along with levels of personal + corporation taxes not seen since the 1950s,

what has recent events done to 1NC?

pandemic, Brexit, + Ukraine war have contributed to a return to inflation + a recession, exacerbated by Truss which undermined the objective of 1NC + point to a return of austerity, which falls most heavily on people with lower incomes

What came to an end in the 70s? + what happened? + what did this bring?

the ‘long boom’ of the 50s-60s, UK suffered from economic problems, unemployment rose + prices increased, creating stagflation, this brought about the ‘Thatcherite revolution’ initiated by 1979-90 thatcher govts + consolidated by 1990-97 major govts

what did the new right/ Thatcherism amount to?

a kind of counter-revolution against both the post-war drift towards state intervention + the spread of liberal/ progressive social values

What approach did the new right adopt in terms of economics?

a more ideological approach, driven by faith in the benefits of the free markets, private property, and competition. This would mobilise the hard work, creativity + ambition of self-reliant individuals in order to generate greater wealth + prosperity

Stagflation=?

combination of economic stagnation + inflation

What was Thatcherism described as in terms of society + what was thatcher dedicated to ?

neoconservative’, thatcher was dedicated to a strong but minimal state, to maintain law + social cohesion,

What did thatcher’s dedication to a minimal state translate to? + what did she also look to defend?

this translated to increased use + length of prison sentences. She also looked to defend traditional nuclear + Christian values, she also sought to strengthen the national identity which led to euro scepticism

what did Thatcherism introduce according to critics?

an alien, ideological element that broke w Conservative Party traditions w its faith in free markets + the rational self interest of the individual, ideas usually associated w classical liberalism.

According to critics what did thatcher’s dedication replace

a world view that aimed to heal divisions w a view that revelled in an uncaring, selfish + greedy individualism, which replaced the ‘I’ over the ‘we’

Minimal state=

a state that only maintains domestic order, enforces legal agreements + protects against external attack, leaving other matters in the hands of the individual

Euro scepticism=

• opposition to the process of European integration, based on a defence of national sovereignty + national identity

One nation view of the economy:

• Believe in low taxation: govt should save during the good years to inc spending in periods of challenge

One nation view of welfare:

• Some focus on protecting the rights of workers, e.g. employers + workmen act 1875 to protect the workers + their rights in some ways, consensus w labour post 1945 that the welfare state was needed to support those who couldn’t support themselves

One nation view of law + order

• Authoritarian, e.g. opposed to immigration during WW1 + fears of Bolshevism from Russia. Traditionalism- promoted traditional Christian + family values

One nation view of foreign policy

• Integration + international collaboration, e.g. WW2 but also w the EU later

New right view of the economy

• Low Taxation –  Thatcher saw high taxes as a disincentive and reduced this to allow workers and businesses to retain more of what they had worked for. This included reducing tax for top earners from 83% to 40%. The aim was to give everyone an incentive to work as they could keep more of what they earned.

• Privatisation – nationalised industries were sold to private companies (e.g. BT) and became profit making enterprises, competing for business in the private market and therefore driving efficiency.

•  Deregulation – removed lots of restrictions/ controls on the economy.

New right view of welfare:

• The Welfare State had gone too far and was not promoting hard work and efficiency, a ‘nanny state’ had developed which created a culture of dependency. Removal of free milk for school children and student tuition assistance programs, reduced welfare across the board for all groups. Liberal values had also gone too far: Introduced Section 28 which limited by law the acceptance and teaching of homosexuality.

New right view of law + order

• Authoritarian – more jail sentences, longer prison terms, tougher prison regimes. Traditionalism - promoted traditional values, e.g. Christianity and family values

New right view of foreign policy:

• Nationalism – wanted to show political strength and the stability of Britain. ‘Euro scepticism’ – opposition to European integration in the defence of national sovereignty.