Types of Conservatives

Traditional conservatism emerged in the late 1700s in response to the French Revolution and Enlightenment. The most well-known traditional conservative thinker is Edmund Burke.

• Organic society: there are complex relationships between parts of society, and they all work together to create a harmonious and functional society.

• Hierarchy: people are not equal and different jobs require different groups of society.

• Gradual reform: change has to be introduced gradually to ensure social cohesion. Sudden or radical change will be harmful to society.

• Pragmatism: an attempt to use ideology or theory to make a perfect society will fail as this does not take into account experience or pragmatism.

• Tradition: wisdom of the past is materialised in traditional institutions like religion and the monarchy. Loyalty to these ideas helps to hold society together.

Key Thinkers: Edmund Burke, Thomas Hobbes

One Nation Conservatism

One Nation conservatism emerged in the 1800s as a result of laissez-faire capitalism threatening the organic society and increased industrialisation of the UK. The founder of One Nation conservatism is considered Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. It is based on the idea that the government is responsible for every single citizen within a society, and laws govern everybody, hence ‘One Nation’.

Disraeli’s One Nation conservatism included three main ideas:

• Maintain tradition: the monarchy, the Church of England and other traditional institutions had shown themselves to be stable and respected over time and give people a sense of pride.

• Imperialism: the British Empire allowed the UK to play an influential role on a global scale. The theme of empire appealed to all social classes.

• Social reform: offsetting the negative effects of laissez-faire capitalism and reducing the chances of a revolution.

There was also a rejection of state intervention in people’s freedom, and many One Nation conservative governments since Disraeli have used Keynesian economics, to increase employment and provide welfare to the poorest in society.

The New Right

Championed by Margaret Thatcher in the 1970s, the New Right rivalled One Nation conservatism and combined elements of neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism.

As economies throughout Western Europe experienced increased inflation and unemployment, the New Right was seen as a breath of fresh air, and popularity increased particularly in the UK and US with the rise of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. The New Right is also labelled ‘Thatcherism’ or ‘Reaganism’ as a result.

Neo-liberalism is an updated form of classical liberalism (learn more about types of liberalism here) that advocates for a minimal state, individual freedom and a free market economy.

The New Right is known by three main ideas:

• Radical: opposes social and economic intervention in people’s lives.

• Traditional: family values, institutions, beliefs, etc.

• Reactionary: economic freedom, individual moral responsibility, the ability to return to a previous state if the status quo isn’t working.

Neo-Liberalism

Neo-liberalism is an updated form of classical liberalism (learn more about types of liberalism here) that advocates for a minimal state, individual freedom and a free market economy.

Minimal state: economic inefficiency is created by nationalisation and high taxation. State welfare increases as more money is available to invest in the state, which leads to rising tax, inflation and inefficient state welfare as more people are forced to use state resources. A minimal state allows people to flourish without help of the state.

Individual freedom: people are rational, self-interested and self-sufficient. A state that provides huge amounts of welfare creates a culture of dependency. Individual freedom allows people to make the best of themselves without needing help of the state, and this help undermines their freedom to achieve this.

Free market economics: the free market helps to achieve consumer demand, create prosperity and guarantee the best results. The government should not intervene as inflation could increase if too much money is injected into the economy. Inflation should be reduced to promote economic activity.

Neo-Conservatism

Neo-conservatism is an updated form of traditional conservatism that advocates for social order, tradition and morality.

• Social order: strong political leadership and discipline helps to keep society ordered and maintains cohesion within society.

• Tradition: increasing social discipline relies on upholding tradition values, like respect, religion and law. A tough stance on law and order will deter crime and uphold these traditional values.

• Public morality: a rejection of ‘alternative lifestyles’, like gay marriage, which undermine the development of society and its cohesion, which could lead to tension between groups.