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Definition: conservatism from Philip's Encyclopedia

Political philosophy seeking to preserve the continuity of a society's laws, social structure, and institutions. Its modern expression derives from the response, first evident in Germany, to the liberal doctrines of the Enlightenment and French Revolution. Originally conservatives supported mercantilism in preference to laissez-faire economics, but in the 20th century they adopted the principles of the free-market and monetarism. See also Burke, Edmund; Christian Democrats; Conservative Party; liberalism; socialism


conservatism

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
in politics, the desire to maintain, or conserve, the existing order. Conservatives value the wisdom of the past and are generally opposed to widespread reform. Modern political conservatism emerged in the 19th cent. in reaction to the political and social changes associated with the eras of the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. By 1850 the term conservatism , probably first used by Chateaubriand, generally meant the politics of the right . The original tenets of European conservatism had already been formulated by Edmund Burke , Joseph de Maistre , and others. They emphasized preserving the power of king and aristocracy, maintaining the influence of landholders against the rising industrial bourgeoisie, limiting suffrage, and continuing ties between church and state . The conservative view that social welfare was the responsibility of the privileged inspired passage of much humanitarian legislation, in which English conservatives usually led the way. In the late 19th…
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Full text Article conservatism

From Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology
This is a political movement - an ideology with a set of principles that relate to human nature, rationality , and the role of the state and nation. It arises historically as a reaction to liberalism and a fear that the logic of liberalism points to notions of universal emancipation that…
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Full text Article Conservatism

From World of Sociology, Gale
Generally, conservative thinking is suspicious of change and seeks to maintain tradition, law and order, and respect for authority . Conservatism is critical of the idea that human beings and human societies can be perfected, and it accepts inequality, either as desirable or as inevitable. …
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Full text Article conservatism

From Political Philosophy A-Z
To call conservatism a political philosophy is rather to overstate the case. Rather, conservatism is a tradition in political thought, characterised by perhaps three key features. The first is scepticism about reform: the currently existing state of things is thought by conservatives to contain…
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Full text Article conservatism

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
in politics, the desire to maintain, or conserve, the existing order. Conservatives value the wisdom of the past and are generally opposed to widespread reform. Modern political conservatism emerged in the 19th cent. in reaction to the political and social changes associated with the eras of the…
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Full text Article CONSERVATISM

From The Reader's Companion to American History
The Reagan presidency has been hailed as the high point of twentieth-century American conservatism. But writing while Ronald Reagan was at the peak of his popularity, George Will shocked his fellow American conservatives by arguing that in America “there are almost no conservatives, properly…
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Full text Article Conservatism

From American Governance
© MICKEY ADAIR/GETTY IMAGES
Conservative author...
Conservative elements have shaped American political culture since the creation of the republic. Around 1800, they flowed through two separate political positions. The first was a commitment to republican government stewarded by an educated, judicious, and propertied elite. Best represented in…
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Full text Article Conservatism

From Dictionary of American Government and Politics
American conservatism contains many strands, among them fiscal conservatism, libertarian conservatism, religious conservatism and social conservatism. Among the organisations that seek to advance the conservative cause are Eagle Forum, the Heritage Foundation think tank and the American Conservative…
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Full text Article Conservatism

From The Social Science Jargon-Buster
Core definition A tendency to oppose change and preserve what exists. While conservatism can be described as an attitude, it's also associated with political principals that stress the value of existing systems and structures. Longer explanation Some people want to change the world. Others think we…
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Full text Article conservatism

From Collins Dictionary of Sociology
any social and political doctrine which seeks to defend the institutions and social values of the existing order. any relatively stable set of POLITICAL ATTITUDES in support of the status quo, i.e. policies which seek to sustain or renovate rather than reconstruct the social fabric. As such, …
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Full text Article Conservatism

From Encyclopedia of American Studies
President Ronald Reagan and Senator Barry...
Historians have long recognized that American politics lacked the ideological orientations common to those of Europe. This condition has been noted in the analysis of the relative weakness of the American Left, but it applies equally to the Right—and specifically to conservatism, one of the main…
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