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Origins of Conservative Thought Desire for liberty Through framework of history Look to monarchical government
Burke’s Conservatism "the past must create the future" Jus Medieval Class development Evolution to broader freedom Some basic individual rights Opposed to slavery Burke’s Conservatism Egalitarianism mobocracy Hierarchical society would ensure individual liberties w/o mob rule
Egalitarianism- Affirming, promoting, or characterized by belief in equal political, economic, social and civil rights History and Conservatism Burke- man was an integral part of history Modern-man and ancestors indissoluble Viewed poor as part of responsibility of government More social awareness than Liberals Fuedal lords cared for peasants "Love should govern the relationship between labor and employer as it had governed the relationship between lord and peasant in the Middle Ages." Society and Conservatism Guilds- Represented a corporate society in which master, journeyman, and apprentice were a part of a harmonious and hierarchical order Self-regulation of goods Based on historical tradition Christianity and Conservatism Evolution of history coincided with evolution of religious beliefs Christianity a ramification of Romanticism Goal- to counter the effects of Enlightenment (rationalism and reason) that had led to revolution Christianity would establish morals and ethics Monarchism is a Christian "phenomenon" Mueller’s Conservatism Difference between de Maistre’s Conservatism and Mueller’s Conservatism French Conservatism historic Christian values and political harmony Mueller’s Conservatism government ensures political harmony Government envelops society Society could not live without government Government over Papacy Christian bias against other religions Mainly Judaism (rejection of Christ) Growth of racial thought
Metternich’s Conservatism Balance of forces within the state Middle class disturbed balance of power Considered intellectuals (students and professors) "ineffectual" Supported "Carlsbad Decrees" Desire for order Order through traditional rule Carlsbad Decrees (1819) Placed strict government regulations on: Media Student organizations Metternich believed the Decrees had finally established stability in Central Europe Bismarck’s Conservatism State was supreme Rejected a nationalism based upon the romantic criterion of the Volk Desired order Stemming from Marxism Opposed socialism Outlawed Social Democratic party Order comes from a strong monarchical government Guizot Liberal-Conservatism Stressed liberty as necessary Restricted liberty to ensure order "l’histoire, c’est la nation" History establishes an identity and archetype for government Summary of 19th Century Conservatives aimed to ensure personal liberties Regulated personal liberties to better ensure government stability and protection Conservatism looked to the country or region’s past as a template for forming political thought |