American
Conservatism and Liberalism
Modern American Conservatism is
a broad system of political beliefs in the United
States that is characterized by respect for American traditions,
support for Judeo-Christian values, economic liberalism, anti-communism,
advocacy of American exceptionalism, and a
defense of Western culture from threats
posed by "creeping socialism", moral
relativism, multiculturalism and liberal internationalism. Liberty
is a core value, with a particular emphasis on strengthening the free
market, limiting the size and scope of government, and opposition to
high taxes and government or labor union encroachment on the entrepreneur.
American conservatives consider individual
liberty, within the bounds of conformity to American values, as the fundamental
trait of democracy, which contrasts with modern American
liberals, who generally place a greater value on equality
and social justice.[1][2]American conservatism originated from classical liberalism of 18th and 19th centuries, which advocates civil liberties and political freedom with representative democracy under the rule of law and emphasizes economic freedom.[3][4]
Historians argue that the conservative tradition has played a major role in American politics and culture since the 1790s. However they have stressed that an organized conservative movement has played a key role in politics only since the 1950s.[5][6][7] The recent movement is based in the Republican Party, though some Democrats were also important figures early in the movement's history
Conservatives generally
believe that government action is not the solution to such problems as poverty
and inequality. Many believe that government programs that seek to provide services
and opportunities for the poor actually encourage dependence and reduce
self-reliance. Most conservatives oppose affirmative
action
policies, that is, policies in employment, education, and other areas that give
special advantages to people who belong to groups that have been historically
discriminated against. Conservatives believe that the government should not
give special benefits to people on the basis of group identity and oppose it as
"reverse
discrimination".
Conservatives typically hold
that the government should play a smaller role in regulating business and managing
the economy. They typically oppose high tax rates and programs to redistribute
income to assist the poor. Such efforts, they argue, do not properly reward
people who have earned their money through hard work. However, conservatives
usually place a strong emphasis on the role of private voluntary charitable
organizations (especially faith-based charities) in helping the poor.
As conservatives value order
and security, they favor a small but strong government role in law enforcement
and national defense.
Jonah
Goldberg Article -
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/420055/conservatism-definition-difficult-produce
Goldberg
on Nietzsche
- http://www.nationalreview.com/article/420010/nietzschean-concept-explains-todays-pc-culture-jonah-goldberg
Modern American liberalism is the dominant version of liberalism in the United States. It is characterized by social liberalism,[1] and combines ideas of civil liberty and equality with support for social justice and a mixed economy.[1] The term "modern liberalism" in this article refers only to the United States. In a global context, this philosophy is usually referred to as social liberalism.
The American modern liberal philosophy strongly endorses public spending on programs such as education, health care, and welfare. Important social issues today include addressing inequality, voting rights for minorities, affirmative action, reproductive and other women's rights, support for LGBT rights, and immigration reform.[2]
Modern liberalism took shape during the twentieth century, with roots in Theodore Roosevelt's New Nationalism, Woodrow Wilson's New Freedom, Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, Harry S. Truman's Fair Deal, John F. Kennedy's New Frontier, and Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society. American liberals oppose conservatives on most issues, but not all. Modern liberalism is historically related to social liberalism and progressivism, though the current relationship between liberal and progressive viewpoints is debated.
The 17th-century philosopher John Locke is often credited with founding liberalism as a distinct philosophical tradition. Locke argued that each man has a natural right to life, liberty and property, while adding that governments must not violate these rights based on the social contract.
Also the philosophies of Hegel, Rousseau. Nietzsche, Heidegger, and the politics of Robespierre, von Bismarck, Mussolini, Lenin and others
Franklin
Delano Roosevelt
in 1941 defined a liberal party as one,
"which believes that, as
new conditions and problems arise beyond the power of men and women to meet as
individuals, it becomes the duty of Government itself to find new remedies with
which to meet them. The liberal party insists that the Government has the
definite duty to use all its power and resources to meet new social problems
with new social controls—to ensure to the average person the right to his own
economic and political life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."[11]
Keynesian
economic theory
has played an important role in the economic philosophy of modern American
liberals.[12] Modern American liberals
generally believe that national prosperity requires government management of
the macroeconomy, in order to keep unemployment low, inflation in check, and
growth high.[12] They also value institutions
that defend against economic inequality. In The Conscience of a Liberal Paul Krugman writes: "I believe in a
relatively equal society, supported by institutions that limit extremes of
wealth and poverty. I believe in democracy, civil liberties, and the rule of
law. That makes me a liberal, and I'm proud of it."[13] Liberals often point to the
widespread prosperity enjoyed under a mixed economy in the years since World War II.[14][15] They believe liberty exists
when access to necessities like health care and economic opportunity are
available to all,[16] and they champion the
protection of the environment.[17][18]
Modern American liberalism is
typically associated with the Democratic Party, as modern American conservatism is typically associated with
the Republican Party.[19]
Herbert David Croly (January 23, 1869 – May 17,
1930) was an intellectual leader of the progressive movement as an editor, political
philosopher
and a co-founder of the magazine The New Republic in early twentieth-century
America. His political philosophy influenced many leading progressives.
Croly
was one of the founders of modern liberalism in the United
States, especially through his books, essays, and a highly influential
magazine founded in 1914, The New Republic. In his 1914 book Progressive
Democracy, Croly rejected the thesis that the liberal
tradition in the United States was inhospitable to anti-capitalist
alternatives. He drew from the American past a history of resistance to capitalist
wage relations that was fundamentally liberal, and he reclaimed an idea that
Progressives had allowed to lapse - that working for wages was a lesser form of
liberty. Increasingly skeptical of the capacity of social
welfare legislation to remedy social ills, Croly argued that America's
liberal promise could be redeemed only by syndicalist
reforms involving workplace democracy.
Liberalism
and Radicalism both reject the wisdom of the past, as enshrined in the
institutions of the past, or in the morality of the past. They deny the
legitimacy to laws, governments, or ways of life which accept the ancient evils
of mankind, such as poverty, inequality, and war, as necessary—and therefore as
permanent—attributes of the human condition. Political excellence can no longer
be measured by the degree to which it ameliorates such evils. The only
acceptable goal is their abolition. Liberalism and Radicalism look forward to a
state of things in which the means of life, and of the good life, are available
to all. They must be available in such a way that the full development of each
individual—which is how the good life is defined—is not merely compatible with,
but necessary to, the full development of all. Competition between individuals,
classes, races, and nations must come to an end. Competition itself is seen as
the root of the evils mankind must escape. The good society must be
characterized only by cooperation and harmony.
