Conservatism vs. Liberalism

Liberalism originated as a direct result from the "wars of religion of the 16^th century" in which two divisions of liberalism emerged ((1) liberalism, 2008, ¶2). One strand of this political ideology focused on limiting the power of the government and the other division centered on the needs of the citizens. Liberals hold the belief that people are capable of rational and critical thinking to resolve disputes and bring forth a compromise within conflicts. The primary concern of the liberals is the "...scope of government activity..." ((1) liberalism, 2008, ¶6).

Conservatism is a "political philosophy that emphasizes the value of tradition institutions and practices" (conservatism, 2008, ¶1). Conservatives has come to prefer that which has evolved slowly while remaining the same and having stability. One view of conservatives is that the government was created to serve the public and not the reverse. "Conservatism thus stands in marked contrast to liberalism, which is a modernizing, antitraditionalist movement dedicated to correcting the evils and abuses resulting form the misuse of power" (conservatism, 2008, ¶2). The main difference between conservatism and liberalism is "they deny the optimistic view that human beings can be morally improved through social and political change" (conservatism, 2008, ¶3).

Liberals do not agree with the idea that only a few out of the vast number of citizens reap the wealth that comes from factories and big businesses. Another view held by liberalists is that the blue collar workers remains in the same social class and never see the wealth produced by these factories which are, usually, located in rural, run down, or remote locations of cities and communities. Liberalists held that the owners and managers of these factories or big businesses profited and gained power in the economic and political arenas which deprived everyday citizens from the ability to prosper and succeed.

"By the early 20^th century, liberals instead had begun looking to government to minimize economic inequalities and to prevent the exploration of labour and the abuses of monopolies by redistributing wealth and regulating private industry" ((1) liberalism, 2008, ¶33). Over the years liberals have shifted their ideals to change from that of "...human rationality, human perfectibility, and the inevitability of progress" to that of a warning '...that human nature is ineradicably flawed that with those who hope to apply scientific methods to the solutions of society's problems" ((2)liberalism, 2008, ¶1).

Conservatives will point to history to show that humans have a tendency to self-centered, prone to violence, and not as rational as liberals view them as being. This is where the conservatives suggest that the power of the government or political institutions be used to restrain humans from acting in such a manner as a necessity. Conservatives believe in tradition and stability, whereas liberals do not. With the interaction of the government in the economy during the Great Depression the ideals of conservatives took root in the United States (conservatism, 2008).

In the 70's it became apparent that liberalism's approach was not working and conservatism seemed to take the front seat. Later a mixture of liberal ideals and conservative views began to intertwine. At the same time issues of abortions, illegal immigrants, family values, morals, and such became the defining point for conservatives. Conservatives view welfare programs as a hindrance that destroys the economy, support restrictions on abortions with no aid from the federal government, and up-scaling the emphasis and use of the justice system to deter criminal activity (conservatism, 2008). While the views of liberals show that they believe that they support government welfare programs because they benefit society, there should be no restriction placed on abortions by the government and help poor women pay for abortions, and the government should put more emphasis on preventative measures concerning poverty such as unemployment and assistance for low income families.

In conclusion, in today's political arena liberalism and conservatism have come to share some similar qualities in their views but there are still many distinct differences. Political issues, according to poplar opinion within this author's American Government course's classmates, have shown that most people tend to vote for the candidate that best fits their own perception of the right and moral choice according to the issues at hand. Having made that statement, it stands to reason that it makes no difference in current politics what affiliation a person has to a certain political party; as well as the fact that many ideas from reinvented political ideology have shifted or combine with others to form a new and evolved way of approaching politics. This has made our political system seem more like a one party system with many varying views and opinions allowing the citizens the freedom to choose who he or she sees fit without having to claim to be of any one political party.

Reference

conservatism. (2008). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved July 18, 2008, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/133435/conservatism

(1) liberalism. (2008). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved July 18, 2008, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/339173/liberalism

(2) liberalism. (2008). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved July 18, 2008, from Encyclopedia

Britannica Online: http://original.britannica.com/eb/article-237356