To what extent are Conservatives united in their views on Society?

Agree: Order, Property & Traditional Values

• Order: All conservatives agree a strong state is essential to prevent chaos (Hobbes: life “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, short”).

• Property: Ownership promotes responsibility, stability, and an organic society; supported by One-Nation (social housing) and New Right (“Right to Buy”).

• Traditional values: Judeo-Christian morality and the nuclear family underpin a stable society; supported by traditional, One-Nation, and New Right (anti-permissiveness, neoconservatives).

• Key difference: New Right values property and order more as individual rights than for societal stability.

Disagree: Organic Society vs Atomism

• Traditional & One-Nation Conservatives:

• Society = organic, a living organism; stability and cohesion > individual desires.

• Value long-standing institutions (Church, monarchy) as vital for continuity and identity.

• Burke: “little platoons” = local communities providing security, belonging, and social cohesion.

• One-Nation: emphasizes national unity, patriotism, and shared purpose.

• New Right:

  • Society = atomistic, collection of independent individuals.

  • Prioritizes individualism, minimal state interference.

  • Rand: “The smallest minority on earth is the individual.”

  • Thatcher: “There is no such thing as society…there are individual men and women, and there are families.”

• Key split: Traditional/One-Nation focus on communal bonds; New Right focuses on individual freedom and autonomy.

Disagree: New Right vs Trad & One Nation: Paternalism & Hierarchy

• Traditional & One-Nation Conservatives:

• Paternalism: State guides society for the greater good, reflecting human imperfection.

  • Traditional: state knows best, top-down governance (authoritarian).

  • One-Nation: moral duty (‘noblesse oblige’), proactive welfare reforms (e.g., Disraeli’s 1875 Acts).

• Hierarchy: Natural, necessary for order; roles reflect abilities/talents.

  • Ensures stability, respect for authority (Burke: “We fear God; … respect to nobility”).

  • Pragmatic: maintain aristocratic power, prevent social upheaval.

• New Right:

  • Rejects paternalism and hierarchy.

  • Focus: individualism, autonomy, meritocracy.

  • Atomism: society = collection of individuals, not an organic whole.

  • Opposes altruism and welfare (Rand: self-interest > living for others).

  • Supports laissez-faire capitalism → promotes merit-based success, accepts inequality as a byproduct.

• Key Split: Conservatives historically see the state and hierarchy as stabilising; New Right prioritises individual freedom and market-determined outcomes.

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