Liberalism and American Conservatism - Essay Example

Due: LIBERALISM AND AMERICAN CONSERVATISM Liberalism. Liberalism has several meanings, but we will focus on two of them. It is defined as a theory in economics emphasizing individual freedom from restraint and usually based on free competition, the self-regulating, and the gold standard. It is also defined as a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual. Such a philosophy considers government as an instrument for eliminating social inequities. Generally, liberalism is a world view founded on ideas of liberty and equality. Liberals generally support ideas such as free and fair elections, civil rights, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, free trade and private property. Liberalism looks at how a government should be exercised, and the exercise of power should not prevent citizens from enjoying the greatest amount of liberty compatible with the common good. The fundamental ideas in liberalism were expressed by Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. The two believe that the governed are the ones who have and retain the sovereign power. Liberals in the 19th century urged the end of state in the economic life of society. Liberal theorists agreed with Adam Smith that economic systems that are based on free markets are more efficient, and that they generate more wealth than those that are partly state-controlled. The Industrial Revolution in Europe and North America resulted in great inequalities in wealth and other social problems. Looking for solutions to these problems, liberals advocated for limited government intervention in the market and for the creation of government funded services e.g. free public education and health insurance. Further expansion of social welfare programs occurred in America after World War II. The presence of economic stagnation in the late 1970s, made the classical liberals more vocal in their position favoring free markets. Liberals consider the government as tasked with removing obstacles that prevent individuals from living freely or from fully realizing their potential. These obstacles include poverty, disease, discrimination and ignorance. In the United States, liberalism is associated with the welfare-state policies of the New Deal Programme of the Democratic administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. According to McGowan, American liberalism is different from its European and English counterparts because established religion, an entrenched aristocracy, and an absolutist state never gained a serious foothold in the American colonies. Similarly, civil liberties, social equality, and the notion that governments legitimacy rests on the consent of the governed were all generally accepted in the founding of the American republic (572) American Conservatism Conservatism advocates for the retention of traditional values and convictions. These values and convictions regards to family, individual liberty, free markets and limited government intervention. Conservatism in America ‘declined’ after World War II. conservative ideals was largely blamed for America’s unpreparedness for the war. In addition, conservative economic policies were also blamed for the Great Depression. The conservatives found themselves marginalized, even in their political party, the Republican Party. Conservatism was relaunched based on the concerns leveled against it in the Great Depression and World War II. Kirk laid out fundamental guiding principles of conservative worldview; (1) Belief that a divine being rules society and our conscience. This divine being rules over the great and the small. Political views are as a result of religious and moral problems. (2) The effects brought about by the changing lives of the individuals as opposed to the uniformity, egalitarianism, and utilitarian aims of radical systems. (3) The belief that a civilized society is in need of order and classes. Moral equality is believed to be the only true equality. (4) The belief that property and freedom are inseparably connected, and economic leveling is not economic progress. Kirk was convinced that liberty is lost when you separate property from private possession. (5) Conservatives believe that man is governed more by his emotions than reason. Man must learn to control his appetite and will if he is to succeed economically. (6) Conservatives recognize that change and reform are not identical, and are against innovation. They view innovation more as an instrument of stagnation than a tool of progress. Kirk prefers that societies should opt for slow change, and that societies should change under the guidance of the divine being. (108) Kirk wrote, “in essence, the body of believe that we call ‘conservatism’ is an affirmation of normality in the concerns of society. There exist standards to which we may repair; man is not perfectible, but he may achieve a tolerable degree of order, justice, and freedom….” Kirk asserted that the post-war conservatives were mostly concerned with “the regeneration of spirit and character- with the problem of the inner order of the soul, the restoration of the ethical understanding and the religious sanction upon which any life worth living is founded.” In addition to this, Nisbet writes “The weakening or dissolution of such bonds as family, church, guild, and neighborhood had not, as many had hoped, liberated men. Instead, it produced alienation, isolation, spiritual desolation, and the growth of mass man.” (998) American conservatives are strong supporters of the free market, but differ in the level of regulation required, mostly to keep that market honest. They differ greatly in the importance they give to individual liberties as opposed to a well-organized society. Conservatism covers a broad range of ideas, and many conservatives feel no obligation to choose among the conflicting impulses that fuel it. Conservatism is also not an ideology with a secure and a consistent internal structure. It is a cluster of related ideas from which those who consider themselves conservatives draw different elements at different times. LIBERALISM VS. AMERICAN CONSERVATISM To date, liberals and conservatives differ on these four core issues among others, political, economic issues, social issues, and finally personal responsibility. Liberalism pulls further towards a welfare state with an ever-expanding web of social entitlements and more federal power and control over every aspect of the governed lives. Liberalism sees a nation of people incapable of solving their problems without government’s intervention. On the other hand, conservatism believes a powerful federal government limits personal freedom. Conservatism seeks to encourage individual responsibility, stop the increasing entitlement programs and return the power to the government they believe that the power rightly belongs to the government, because it is bestowed upon it by the Constitution. Conservatives believe that citizens are able to solve their own problems with minimal government intervention, so long as the citizens are free. Political Views: Conservatives prefer government that are smaller in size and one which is restrained-does not intervene all the time there is a problem. They believe the answers are with the people, who given time can correct their mistakes. They also prefer that most of the services be provided for by the private sector in a free market. On the other hand, liberals prefer more regulation and services like free universal health care to be provided by the government to all citizens. Their view is that left alone, some of the citizens would benefit more than the others, and the market can be distorted to benefit few while the rest languish in mystery (Louis, 112) Economic Views: According to conservatives, government should tax less and also spend less. By cutting spending, the government will be able to balance the budget. Because higher income earners are opposed to high taxes, they should have an incentive to invest. On the contrary, liberals, advocate for provision of more services by the government to the less fortunate, and increased taxes if necessary. The high income earners should pay a greater percentage of income taxes because they can afford it. Social Views: Conservatives are opposed to gay marriages, abortion and stem cell research. They believe that we were created male and female for a reason, i.e. a man can only marry a woman and not another man. They also hold that life begins at inception; therefore, all babies conceived have a right to be born. Conservatives are support the right to bear arms, they believe in death penalty as the ultimate punishment for murder, and that individuals are personally responsible for their own actions. Liberals, objectively, support gay couple and even advocate for their equal rights like the rest. They support the legalization of abortion and embryonic stem cell research. They are opposed to the right to bear arms and hence support restrictions and regulations against bearing arms. Personal Responsibility: Conservatives believe that individuals should exercise personal responsibilities, and that the government’s role is to hold the individuals accountable even with severe penalties. They hold that laws are enacted for the betterment of the whole society (John, 314) Liberals, on the contrary, hold that the government has the responsibility of providing a structure which the people can follow. According to them, laws are enacted to protect the rights of every individual for an equal society In conclusion, both liberalism and conservatism are seen to on opposing sides.it seems like if one supports a certain view, then the other must be in the opposite. But looking at both from a different angle, they can be used in governance in a complementary way. It will be taking the positives they both offer to overcome the negatives they pose. They both offer good views and ideas that can used to transform lives and the society at large. Works Cited Gray, John. Liberalism (Concepts Social Thought). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1995. Print. Hartz, Louis. The Liberal Tradition in America. United States of America: Mariner Books, 1991. Print. Hofstadter, Richard. The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who made it. New York: Random House Inc., 1973. Print. Kirk, Russell. The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot. Massachusetts: Regnery Publishing Inc., 2001. Print. McGowan, John. American Liberalism: An Interpretation of our Time: Situating American Liberalism and its Critics. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2007. Print. Nisbet, Robert. The Quest for Community. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 1953. Print. Weaver, Richard. Ideas Have Consequences. United States of America: The University of Chicago Press, 1948. Print. Read More