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Liberalism versus Conservatism

   

Added on  2023-06-07

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Running head: LIBERALISM VERSUS CONSERVATISM
Liberalism versus Conservatism
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Liberalism versus Conservatism_1

1LIBERALISM VERSUS CONSERVATISM
Classical liberalism is an ideology that patronizes the liberties of the citizens, that too
under the rules and regulations of law. The liberalism emphasizes the civil liberty along with the
economic freedom for the citizens. During the early 19th century, the European society witnessed
a rise in the process of urbanization. From then onwards the ideology of liberalism has started to
grow amongst the sociologists and politicians (Bell 2014). Moreover, the rise of the
industrialization helped in imparting a consciousness about the economic rights of the common
people. According to the beliefs of the liberalism theory, the society is made up with the
individuals and hence their rights and demands have to be taken into consideration in order to
maintain the society. The individuals have created the government in order to protect themselves;
the primary aim of the government is to lessen the conflict amongst people. Moreover, the
economic interest of the common people should be taken care by the government itself. In its
process of evolution, the theory of classical liberalism departs from the conservative ideas, that
the society is a complex set up (Berg 2015). In opposition to this, the liberalists points out that
society is a structure constituted of individuals. Moreover, they believe that the laborers can be
motivated by financial incentives, which in turn will prove helpful in the process of social uplift.
Traditional conservatism on the other hand, is a political ideology that stresses on the
ideas of custom and tradition. It emphasizes that the law and the moral orders of a particular
society has to be considered as the supreme value. The classical conservatism puts a stress in the
maintenance of the law and order and keeps the customs and regulations before the individuals
(Esping-Andersen 2013). Here the state is considered as a communal component and considered
as having organic qualities. The ideology advocates for the fact that any society does not witness
change due to the reasoned thoughts of the sociologists and the politicians. If change happens, it
Liberalism versus Conservatism_2

2LIBERALISM VERSUS CONSERVATISM
happens as a normal course of action and as a result of the flow of traditions and customs.
During the 18th century, Europe has witnessed the rise of conservatism theory, as a result of the
French Revolution and the English Civil War (Feldman and Johnston 2014). The supporters of
the traditional conservatism advocate for the fact that over the centuries the society and
lawmakers have built cultures and traditions. These traditions have helped in making the society
a more stable one. This stability has been immensely helpful for the progress of the society as
well. Moreover, the supporters of the conservatism theory suggest that the orders given out by
the government are to be followed and it signifies performing certain duties as well as enjoying
the civic rights (Duckitt and Bizumic 2013). According to them, the rejection of traditional
cultures heightens the chances of social disorder. Moreover, the traditional conservatism theory
encourages the idea of localism. As opposed to the structure of a centralized government, the
theory supports localized government, policy, and decision-making set up.
To compare these two popular political philosophies, it can primarily be said that the
fundamental ideology of these two are different. The Classical liberalism advocates for
government, which is smaller in structure. Hence, it can work towards maintaining the civic
rights. The idea of classical liberalism is closely related to the notions of liberty and it constantly
searches for the utilization of human liberty as a result (Berg 2015). On the other hand,
Conservatism champions the state over the individual. According to it the customs resides in a
higher altitude than the people. In the Conservatism, a tendency to follow the ancestors can be
seen (Acar and Altunok 2013). Hence, it is easily understandable that the philosophy does not
work towards making changes and incorporating new ideas.
The characteristic that is identified with the Social liberalism is that it champions the
causes of the common people and it mostly works on the emotions of the citizens. Hence, the
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