Conservatism

The term was first used by François-René de Chateaubriand in 1818, during the Bourbon Restoration, which wanted to roll back the policies of the French Revolution. The term is associated with right-wing politics. It has been used to describe a wide range of views. There is no single set of policies that are regarded as conservative because the meaning of conservatism depends on a given place and time, although most Conservatives oppose Modernism in some way and want to go back to old values. In Western culture for example, Conservatives try to maintain things like organized religion, property rights, parliamentary government and family values.

Conservatism tends to support the notion of faith, particularly in Abrahamic traditions in countries where those are the dominant religions. In England, the publication of Edmund Burke’s book Reflections on the revolution in France suggested people should be satisfied and advocated a caring government.

Some conservatives seek to keep things as they are, while others want a return to the way things were at an earlier time. This is often called reactionary conservatism. A conservative party in England formed which wanted better co-operation between rich and poor, democracy, and some aspects of a welfare state. This was also favored by conservatives in France and other parts of Europe.

• Gradualism: The process of change in a slow, gradual way.
• Liberal conservatism: Conservatism with the classical liberal view that the government should not control the economy.
• National conservatism: Conservatism that is focused more on culture and race without being a Nationalist or Far-right.
• Religious conservatism: Conservatism that applies a religion to politics.
• Social conservatism: Conservatism that focuses on social issues and traditions.

Brazil

In Brazil, conservatism comes from its Portuguese roots, often being Evangelical, such as President Jair Bolsonaro.

India

Conservatives in India are pro-Hindu, anti-Pakistan, and are socially conservative. The Bharatiya Janata Party is the biggest conservative party in India, lead by Narendra Modi.

United States

In the United States, conservatives worry about centralism, do not trust the welfare state, and consider business people trustworthy on wages and prices. During the 20th century the Republican Party became a Conservative political party in the United States.

• Political economy
• Conservative liberalism
• Liberalism
• Libertarianism

• Conservatism -Citizendium

 

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