A Detailed Comparison of Liberalism and Conservatism Theories

This essay provides a comparative analysis of classical liberalism and traditional conservatism, two prominent political ideologies. It begins by defining classical liberalism as an ideology that champions individual liberties and economic freedom under the rule of law, contrasting it with the conservative emphasis on custom, tradition, and the maintenance of social order. The essay explores the historical rise of both ideologies, noting liberalism's emergence during the urbanization and industrialization of the 19th century and conservatism's roots in the reaction to the French Revolution. It discusses the differing views on the role of government, with liberalism advocating for a smaller state focused on protecting individual rights and conservatism favoring a stronger state to uphold traditions and values. The analysis extends to economic policies, highlighting liberalism's support for free markets and conservatism's inclination towards traditional agrarian societies. The essay also acknowledges areas of overlap between the two ideologies, particularly in the context of economic freedom and individual rights, while underscoring their fundamental differences in the prioritization of the state versus the individual. The essay concludes by suggesting that a balanced approach incorporating elements of both liberalism and conservatism may be ideal for fostering a symbiotic relationship between the state and its citizens. Desklib provides a platform to access this and many other solved assignments for students.

Running head: LIBERALISM VERSUS CONSERVATISM
Liberalism versus Conservatism
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Author Note

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

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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

3LIBERALISM VERSUS CONSERVATISM
believers of the philosophy work towards ensuring the implementation of citizen friendly
policies. A government that practices the liberalism policies hence employs different policies
such as subsidies, ensuring minimum wages and different kinds of aids. Conservatism on the
other hand, opposes these ideas and practices as it thinks that these practices are harmful to the
government (Bonefeld 2013). Moreover, the traditional conservatism mocks the theoretical
philosophies and believes in the practical implication of things. Moreover, the classical
conservatism, as illustrated by Sherry (2014), deals with the view that the present state affairs is
a result of the traditions and norms, hence did not happen by any sudden occurrence. According
to them the common people of a society should hold on to their traditions and preconceived
norms as because this has helped them to maintain the integrity of the nation from an early age.
In addition to this, the Classical Liberalism believes in the power of free market, personal
freedom and individual privacy. These are to be employed by the government and should also be
maintained by it (Ludeke, Johnson and Bouchard 2013). They believe that the motto behind
keeping military is to defend the society against aggressions and attacks from outside. However,
it can be said that the Conservatism theory believes in all these factors while putting the stress in
the traditions and customs (Esping-Andersen 2013). To the believers of conservatism, individual
privacy and personal freedom are also important but not more important than the interest of the
government. In this context, it can be said that this can create a spark of conflict with the
property rights and the individual freedom. The conservatism beliefs hence come down to the
support for the tradition and values in spite of their claims to be supportive of personal freedom.
As argued by the Classical liberals, the state should be minimal in its nature and should work
towards protecting the individual rights. Moreover, the laws of should be such as to provide
security and seize anarchy. Along with this they demand building of public institutions and

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providing public works so that the common people can have access to a stable flow of currency.
The Classical Liberalism believes that open markets will be beneficial for the citizens as well as
for the government (Schwartz 2013). However, they urge that the government must ensure the
protection of the individual rights, as it cannot be provided by the market where free trades are
being operative. Although it can be said that the liberalists believes that an open market will
provide the chance of competition amongst the industries, causing the best result for the society.
In order to succeed in the targeted market, the industries will come up with products in cheapest
prices. However, it is seen that this practice can create a terrible social condition, even if
implemented in the highly advanced countries (Hayton and McEnhill 2015). The basic
infrastructures are to be built and maintained. Hence, it can easily be deciphered that the
philosophy supports the urbanization and wishes for the growth of the industries. On the other
hand, the Conservatives believe in holding up to the traditional agrarian society. The countryside
and the society based on agriculture are more valued by these people. Moreover, they believe in
the social structure and hence support class divisions. Whereas, the liberalist champions free
trade and values the self-esteem of every individual. In a sharp contrast to the beliefs of the
Liberalists, the conservationists hold patriarchy to be of highest value (Davoudi 2016). As it can
be seen that in many cases these two ideas take resort to one another, it can also be understood
that these two philosophies are similar to one another in many contexts. However, the main
difference of these philosophies lies on the economic freedom and sticking to the ancient notions
and customs. The classical liberalism hence, regards the conservatism to be anarchist philosophy.
More often, it regards the government that holds the superior power, to be the evil of the society.
The major difference between these two philosophies hence is the idea of power. Whereas, in
liberalist point of view the state and the individual both are held as to be important, in

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conservatism the individual is not treated with that of highest importance. It stresses that the state
should be run by maintaining uniformity amongst the citizen. Critics often points out that the
classical liberalism on the other hand does not talk about the factors related to inner turmoil, war
and peace. In a way it is more dependent on the ideology rather the practical implications of
them. As they argue, that the conservatism on the other hand emphasizes on the stability of the
society (Feldman and Johnston 2014). Moreover, they believe that social harmony can only be
maintained if the society is segregated into different economical strata. It has to be taken into
account that the conservatism acknowledges the fact that the government should be willing to
upgrade itself and take up more challenges. In addition to that, modern liberalists accepts that
even if the government should be open to constant challenges and up gradation, the traditional
governmental system has also to be appreciated, as it laid the primary path of law and order in
the society.
However, it is seen that in spite of these two political philosophies being poles apart,
more often overlaps with each other. Many sociologists have observed that the Conservationism
philosophy appreciates the liberalism theory in many incidents. In the context of free economical
access, it can be said that the conservatism also takes interest into the free market policies. The
father of modern capitalism, Adam Smith, has generalized the concept of free access to the
economic market. Moreover, in the context the microcosmic social structure can also been taken
into consideration. The liberalism views support the individual freedom and access of social
rights. Like this ideology, the Conservatism philosophy also believes in the process, unless it
hurts the norms of the society. In lieu of the context, it is also to be kept in mind that the
liberalism, though supports the individual freedom, also seeks for government intervention in
order to achieve social justice. In this context of individual context hence, it is seen that the

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liberalism concept seeks resort to the conservational philosophy to an extent. Hence, it can be
understood that the theoretical implication of the classical liberalism concept will not always be
possible. However, it can be said that an amalgamation of both these theories will be the perfect
way of maintaining a perfect symbiotic relation between the state and the individual.

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