POLITICAL SCIENCE 2: Classical Liberalism and Conservatism Essay

This essay provides a comparative analysis of Classical Liberalism and Conservatism, two significant political ideologies. It begins by defining Classical Liberalism as a branch of liberalism emphasizing civil liberties, the rule of law, and economic freedom, tracing its development in response to urbanization and the Industrial Revolution. The essay highlights the core beliefs of classical liberalism and discusses Friedrich Hayek's typology of beliefs, differentiating between British and French traditions. Conservatism is then defined as a philosophy promoting traditional institutions, religious institutions, and property rights, while opposing modernism. The essay contrasts conservatism's rejection of the idea that humans can be morally improved through social or political changes with the tenets of classical liberalism. The essay references key thinkers and traditions associated with each ideology, providing a comprehensive overview of their contrasting principles and societal impacts.

Running head: POLITICAL SCIENCE

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Classical Liberalism
The term “Classical Liberalism” can be considered to be a political ideology, and also a branch of
liberalism, that is said to advocate the civil liberties, under the rule of law and known to lay emphasis on
the subject matter of economic freedom of the country itself. The concept of the classical liberalism is
said to have developed in the world during the early 19th century itself. Many experts are of the opinion
that the concept of the classical liberalism had developed in the world as a response to the concept of
urbanization (Smith, 2013). This had also led to the Industrial Revolution in the continents of Europe and
that of The United States of America as well.
It is being said by the experts on the subject matter that the core ideals and the beliefs of classical
liberalism had developed from the new ideas which had evolved out of the old ideas itself. The classical
liberalism supporters are also of the opinion that the society itself is no longer the sum of the individual
members of the society because the members of the society are said to be coldly calculating, atomist,
egoist and essentially in inert (Horwitz, 2015). The concept of the classical liberalism can be best
understood by an analysis of the theory which have been presented to the readers by Freidrich Hayek
himself.
Frederich Hayek’s Typology of beliefs can be best used to understand the concept of the classical
liberalism and how such classical liberalism play an important role in the world itself. Hayek’s Typology of
Beliefs states the fact that there are two different versions of classical liberalism, which can be identified
by an individual. These are the British tradition and the French tradition itself. The typology of belief
states the British tradition included philosophers like Bernard Mandeville, David Hume and Adam Smith
as a tradition which were supporters of empiricism and common law itself. In the similar manner, it can
also be said that the French tradition included the Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the Encyclopedists as well as
the Physiocrats, who represented the tradition of rationalism and showed hostility to the concepts of
religion and tradition in their own country itself (Butler, 2015).
It can thus, be said that the term classical liberalism can be applied in retrospect to the distinction of 19th
century liberalism from that of the social liberalism in the world itself.
Conservatism
The term “Conservatism” is considered to be a kind of social and political philosophy that can be used for
the promotion of the traditional institutions in the world itself. These social institutions can be seen in the
context of civilization, society and culture itself. The purpose of conservatism in the world is the
preservation of the religious institutions and the parliamentary, government and the property rights of
the individual themselves in the world itself. It can also be said that the main aim of the conservatism in
the world is the opposition of the concept of modernism and to maintain balance in the world itself
(Wilson, 2013). This includes the concept of returning the society and the state of the world to the more
traditional forms of the past.
It is said by the experts themselves that one of the methods by which conservatism can be distinguished
from that of the liberalism and that of radicalism in the world is to say that the conservationists are
known to reject the fact that the human beings can be morally improved through the social and the
political changes in the world itself (Light, 2013). In addition to this there are Christian conservatives in
the world who are of the opinion that the human beings are originally guilty of itself, and they cannot be
changed in spite of change in the society. Conservatives are also of the opinion that without the

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traditional forms of the society as it is seen by the readers, there will not be any kind of ethical behaviour
or liberty in the society itself (Grossberg, 2014).
In addition to this, the supporters of conservatism are also of the opinion that the framework of
conservatism can include the concepts of political, cultural, religious and other issues which play an
important part in the society or these can also include elements which might not have any element of
themselves at all. Thus, it is this concepts of conservatism shared by the experts of the subject matter
itself which makes it different from that of the classical liberalism in the field if theories itself.

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Reference List
Butler, E. (2015). Classical Liberalism–A Primer. London Publishing Partnership.
Grossberg, L. (2014). We gotta get out of this place: Popular conservatism and postmodern culture.
Routledge.
Horwitz, S. (2015). Hayek's Modern Family: Classical Liberalism and the Evolution of Social Institutions.
New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Light, A. (2013). Forever England: femininity, literature and conservatism between the wars. Routledge.
Smith, G. H. (2013). The system of liberty: themes in the history of classical liberalism. Cambridge
University Press.
Wilson, G. (2013). The psychology of conservatism (routledge revivals). Routledge.