Barry Goldwaters /The Conscience of a Conservative - Essay Example

The alternative model postulated by Goldwater is analyzed here along with his views on different aspects of American politics. Goldwater believed that the United States was a country which has inherently and intrinsically conservative in nature. The American people were also supporters of conservative values which needed to revived and revitalized. He was a bitter critique of his contemporary conservatives who had failed to provide sensible and realistic interpretations of conservatism. He was an ardent advocate of the rights of state governments to create legislation as opposed to the intervention of federal governments.

He was opposed to the policy of cutting taxes before cutting expenditure. As a conservative, he supported the right of the United States to develop and test nuclear weapons in order to combat the threat of the Soviet Union (Goldwater, 112). He thought that limited nuclear conflicts were inevitable because of the massive military superiority of the Soviet Union and its allies (Goldwater, 113). Goldwater suggested an alternative model of conservatism which had relevance in the modern age. He rebuked the critiques of conservatism by insisting that the Ten Commandments were still relevant in this age.

Conservatism was simply efforts to think of human beings in spiritual and economic terms. The spiritual requirements of human beings were the primary requirement of them. It was crucial to comprehend the temperament of humanity. He also warned against the dangers of power which were being present under the current political system (Goldwater, 7) Goldwater stated that the conservatives believe that each individual has unique attributes which can be used for the progress of humanity. The economic and spiritual prosperity of human beings was interlinked.

He was a champion of individualism because he believed that each person could develop and enhance their understanding of the environment around them. Freedom was the greatest value of the United