Values of Traditional and One-State Conservatism - Coursework Example

Values and Ideas of Traditional and One Conservatism Values and Ideas of Traditional and One Conservatism Traditional Conservatism Traditional, also known as classical conservatism or conservatism is a form of conservatism ideology which was originally started in Europe in the 18th century. Its development came as a result of the reactions to the French Revolution and English Civil War. During the 20th century, it was popular because it was considered as a political and intellectual idea that helped in governing human life. Since then, traditional conservatism has been greatly influencing people even in modern times, because it is currently applied in many countries including United Kingdom, USA and many others. Values and Ideas The following are the values and ideas held by the traditional conservatives: Belief in the Concept of the Natural Law Traditional conservatives believe in the idea of natural law. In their view, nature should be the principal controller of the world. Therefore, they really value religion because it is more important as compared to any form of human civilization. So, they hold the view that the natural law is constituted by divine revelation and reasoning. Meaning, human beings should do their best to surrender their rights to the most powerful supernatural (God) as the provider and creator for everyone. However, using reason means that a person should critically use their mind to deeply think before making a final decision. Since the traditional conservatives believe in the rule of the natural law, they need to use divine truths to organize and put the society in order (Quintin 2006). This explains why many traditional conservatives are members of high Christianity denominations like Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox. Natural law is a significant concept in human life because it is the chief source of morality and sets the standard codes of ethics each person should conform to. Belief in Traditions and Customs In the eyes of the traditional conservatives, customs and traditions form a very significant part of human life. In their opinion, each and every community has a unique set of cultural traditions which are of essence to them. They help in guiding the way they live, behave and conduct themselves on the day to day basis. To be a good member of a society, everyone needs to strictly follow all these traditions and customs because they have been accepted by the society. Given that the society needs to be continuous, these traditions, once used by a given generation, are to be passed to the subsequent ones. This means that it is the responsibility of the current generations to preserve and transmit these customs and traditions to their children, grandchildren, great and children and many descendants to come. The idea of belief in customs is not misleading because each community is naturally affiliated to a set of cultures which need to be respected and passed to the subsequent generations. Belief in Social Hierarchy and Organic Unity According to traditional conservatism, the society is naturally diverse. Meaning, it consists of people belonging to different classes. All these differences have to come because of the inequalities and different kinds of abilities possessed by people from each social class. However, for the society to be effective, these social classes have to be interdependent. In other words, everyone should at least make a significant contribution towards the other. The traditional conservatives believe that such a hierarchy can be a healthy thing for a society because the existence of differences makes the society to come up with policies to cater for each of these groups since they have different demands to be met (Ware 2008). However, for all these to be achieved, the existing political structure should acknowledge and be ready to support it by coming up with useful policies to cater for the interests of each group. The traditionalists are right because the society is actually diverse and consists of people from diverse socio-economic, cultural and political backgrounds. So, even if not everyone can be equal, the political structure should put in place to help in promoting equality for all. Belief in the Principle of Agrarianism Traditional conservatism still holds a very strong view on the concept of rural agrarianism. Even if not all believers of traditional conservatism live in the rural areas, they still value practices such as the preservation of a small portion of family land, conservation and sustainable use of the natural resources and the open land system. Even those who are based in the cosmopolitan areas like towns, cities and urban centers highly value these ideologies. Such countryside values are highly regarded by the believers of traditional conservatism. Agriculture was, and still remains a very significant economic activity that not only support the rural, but town dwellers as well. So, may be it is for such reasons that the traditionalists strongly believe in agrarianism. Beliefs like having a small family land is highly valued by many people today. Even those who are living in towns and do not practice agriculture at all, do it. Belief in the Idea of Local and Regional Patriotism According to the views of traditional conservatism, nationalism is not a good form of patriotism. Apart from rubbishing the foundational local and regional patriotism, it encourages jingoism in people who do practice it. For this reason therefore, the traditional conservatives hold the view that local and regional patriotism is a good thing because it recognizes the important contributions of family and community in the life of an individual (Siaroff 2008). So, it is these foundational units that need to be treated with high esteem since it is them that constitute the state. Despite their small size, they hold a significant position in building the entire national political entity. All these are done because local and regional patriotism strengthen one’s intimacy with their own communities from which they derive esteem. Belief in Classical and High Value Culture To the traditional conservatism, classical western education is a great thing. The ideas expressed by the classical education philosophers are highly regarded. Hence, the traditionalists are always ready to get the education that has the ideas expressed in the Hebrew, Greece and the Latin. Hence, this education is highly concentrated on high value architecture, art, music, theatre, literature and music (Quintin 2006). All these are highly revered and valued by the believers of traditional conservatism. May be, it might be for this reason that the traditionalists advocate for the provision of education that glorifies classical western civilizations and use text books in which such ideas are expressed. One-Nation Conservatism Also called one-nationalism, one-nation nationalism simply refers to a form of conservatism in UK which perceives the society as hierarchal. It also believes in pragmatism of ideas. It was originated by Disraeli Benjamin, a conservative Prime Minister who coined the term purposely to request the working class to be part of the problems that ware tearing the country a part then. The application of this ideology led to massive reforms in the socio-economic sector when policies were enforced to respond to the social problems affecting common citizens in Britain. Values and Ideas These are the major values and ideas held by one-state conservatism: Society is Patriarchal According to one-state conservatives, the society exists in an organic order. This simply refers to the fact hat society is a place which is composed of people who are not equal at all. Just like the traditionalists, one-state conservatives believe that the society is naturally unequal-has different social classes. Some of these classes include the ruling, the ruled, the rich, the poor, employers, labor providers, just to mention, but a few. Since they hold different positions in the society, each of these people is given a kind of treatment based on the type of class in which they are. Actually, this is a right observation because, as the one-state conservatives exclaim, the society is plural. Whenever one is born, one finds oneself in a particular class. Belief in the Idea of Social Obligation One-state conservatism hold the view of social obligation because it acknowledges that naturally, social classism do result into the differences in the interests which culminate into conflicts. This is not necessary and should be done as people from different classes can come together and live in peace. For peace, stability and social order to be attained in the society, the concept of social obligation should be instilled on people. In other words, each class should be concerned about one another. Instead of glorifying individualism, the privileged social classes should take it upon themselves to help the unfortunate ones to at least lead a better life. They should feel it as their natural responsibility that they need to perform without necessarily been pushed to do so (Siaroff 2008). Indeed, the concept of social obligation, as held by the one-state conservatives, is a brilliant idea. It can help in removing inequalities and conflicts and instead create understanding in the society. For example, if the ruling class comes up with policies such as social welfare, the lower classes would have to benefit because the provision of social services would enable them to be empowered. Once the lower classes are empowered, it would not be challenging for them to prosper and come out of their poor status. As a result, the society would be reducing the inequality gap would otherwise widen. This is a clear indication that the concept of social obligation is a good one as it is designed for a common good. Belief in Non-Ideological Approach to Politics One-state conservatives hold a unique view on politics. Unlike the rest of the other groups, they believe that the government, as a supreme authority in the land, should always be ready to formulate flexible policies in response to different situations in the society. In what they call a pragmatic approach, the one-state conservatives hold the view that the government does not need to be rigid at all the time. It should be ready to compromise and come into a negotiation table particularly with its ideological opponents so as to come into an agreement and make important decisions for the sake of the common citizens. The believers of this ideology believe that once such steps are taken, the society would be a step further towards its efforts in promoting unity, understanding and inequality (Lister 2010). However, if this kind of compromise fails to take effect, the end may be tragic because the common citizens may lose faith in the ruling class. Such a situation may result into revolutions, social unrests and instability n the country. The citizens would have to react in such a manner because the ruling class has given them a blind ear and has failed to listen to their problems. It is for this reason that the proponents of this ideology emphasize the need for such pragmatic policies because they can be instrumental in providing real time solution to challenges facing people in a country. Belief in the Idea of Noblesse Oblige One-state conservatives believe that noblesse oblige is a responsibility that should not be limited to the past aristocrats, but should be demonstrated by the current government. According to this ideology, the state has the duty to show generosity and honor to its people. This is one great value that cannot be gotten in all the leaders, but should be made known to them. Since a democratic government is put in place to serve the people, the leaders should accept to owe the general public a lot of answers, services and other benefits (Blake 2000). One-state conservatism is right for upholding such an ideology as it can be instrumental in guiding the leaders to be mindful of their deeds. If they stick to it, they would not hesitate to institute social and economic policies which are viable to the common man. All these can only happen if the leaders present themselves honorably and accept to be generous. After all, those at the top should extend a helping hand those at the bottom of the society. Belief in the Preservation of Institutions As the name conservative suggests, these conservatives belief in the idea of preserving the already established institutions. To them, such institutions play an integral part in the society and should not be played with whatsoever. They hold societal values, esteem and pride. So, by dismantling them, all these can be lost. Therefore, the only that can be done is to strengthen and make them much better. Otherwise, everything would be in a mess. If the society has been created with a certain structure, it should be preserved and used for the benefit of each and every general as it will have an important contribution to make in their lives (Flecker 2011). Conclusion In conclusion, conservationist ideologies have had a great influence in the UK. Its effects have not only shaped political, but have extended to provide a road map for the country’s social, cultural and economic environment. From the discussion, it is evidenced that conservatism come in different forms notably traditional and one-state conservatisms as explored in the paper. Although these might be having similar beliefs concerning the hieratical structure of the society, they hold diverse ideas regarding quite a large number of issues. On its part, traditional conservatism believes in the rule of the natural law; agrarianism; high value and classical Greece and Latin cultures; regionalism and localism. On the other hand, one-state conservatism advocate for noblesse oblige; social obligation; non-ideological approach to politics; and the preservation of already established institutions. All in all, these are great values that if implemented as they ought to be; can help in creating an amazing, joyful, prosperous and harmonious society. Bibliography Blake, R, 2000, Disraeli, Eyre & Spottiswoode (Publishers) Ltd, London. Flecker, J, 2011, Changing working life and the appeal of the extreme right. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., Hampshire. Lister, R, 2010, Understanding Theories and Concepts in Social Policy., The Policy Press, Bristol, England. Quintin, HB, 2006, The Conservative Case, Penguin Books. Siaroff, A, 2008, Comparative European party systems: an analysis of parliamentary elections since 1945, Garland Publishing Inc., London. Ware, A, 2008, Political Parties and Party Systems, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Read More