Lecture
5-2
Early
American Conservatism
•
Conservatism doubts and distrusts the capacity of individuals to
use government to achieve a better life.
•
Looking
back to Edmond Burke, conservatism emphasizes the value of tradition and
established practices as guides for the future
Early
American Conservatism
•
John Adams was a leading figure in early
American conservatism
•
He doubted the wisdom of too much rule by the
people and thought that widely held property would produce a natural
aristocracy of talent
Early
American Conservatism
•
This aristocracy would be the governing
class. Early conservatives therefore
favored property qualifications for voting
Conservatism
and the Industrial Age
• Thinkers
like Herbert Spencer and William Grahm Sumner advocated laissez-faire economics
• Their
ideas led to social Darwinism, which frowned on governmental aid to the needy
• Conservatism
became the ideology of the American business class and of those aspiring to
enter it
Contemporary
Conservatism
•
In response to the welfare state, conservatism
is now a more positive force, calling for reduced social spending, tax policies
to aid economic growth, and a stronger defense posture
Contemporary
Conservatism
•
By opposing modern liberal social programs,
conservatives have been able to apply successfully to much of the middle class
•
conservatives today are mainly found in the
Republican party
Neoconservatism
•
Some liberal have become neoconservatives who
believe that modern liberalism has overestimated the ability of government to
solve social and economic problems
Neoconcervatism
•
They oppose many affirmative action programs and
believe that modern liberalism no longer speaker for the common people but for
a new class of affluent reformers and those who benefit from their programs.
Neoconservatism
•
Neoconservatives also want the government to
play a more assertive roles in foreign policy, using military force when
necessary.
Ideological
Challengers to the Status Quo
The
New Right
•
In the 1970s and 1980s, some conservative and
populist beliefs combined to argue that government was run by narrow, selfish
interests
•
The movement included antiabortionists,
Christina evangelicals, and antigun control advocates.
The
New Right
•
It is critical of liberal policies and
suspicious of large corporations, including the mass media.
•
In wanting to transform the values and the
nature of these institutions, the New Right is not traditional but radical in
its objectives.
Democratic
Socialism
•
Democratic socialism offers a radical challenge
to capitalism
•
It also calls for government ownership and
control of the major industries, utilities, and transportation systems
Democratic
Socialism
•
A limit on individual wealth and property
•
A welfare system that guarantees all person
decent health care, education, and adequate food and shelter
•
Extensive governmental regulation of the part of
the economy that remain in private hands
Libertarianism
•
In many ways, libertarianism is a revival of
classical liberalism, opposing the interference of government in the private
lies of citizens
•
Its ideas have recently influenced both major
political parties
Libertarianism
•
The
tasks of government should be limited to protecting;
–
the right to life
–
The right to liberty
–
The right to property