Conservatism

With conservatism, I always think first of “conserve”, keep things as they are. In this sense conservatism can be seen as a reactionary force, reacting against change. Its watchword: Don’t change what isn’t broken.

Conservatism will accept change but it needs to be convinced that the change will work and is for the best. It doesn’t like the unknown or abstract theories (the “isms”, even if it is one itself).

So, we see a strong focus on tradition in conservatism. A strong focus on order. The original conservatives were the aristocracy of Europe. They stood against the French Revolution, though not entirely against the Industrial Revolution which they learnt to profit from. And they were obliged to accept democracy, even if it was at a slow pace.

So, conservatives were (are) pro-monarchy. They are opposed to socialism. But have come to accept aspects of liberalism, e.g. free markets or the minimal state.

We see them in Tsarist Russia and amongst the Whites that fought the civil war against the Bolsheviks. We see them in the Junker in pre-war Germany and in the German National Peoples Party in Weimar Germany. They are still there in Nazi Germany too. To broaden that picture, they are there in the corridors of power in all the European capitals. They are, what came to be called ‘the establishment’. And are still a force today. in the inter-war years we see them in CEDA in Spain too.