The basic principles of conservatism were formulated as early as the 18th century in pamphlets by Edmund Burke, and this term, along with the concept of "liberalism", entered political usage in the first half of the 19th century. Over the past two hundred years, the content of both terms has changed significantly.
Definition of a concept
Political scientists note that the modern conservative ideology in its main provisions coincides with the ideas of the liberals of the century before last. This greatly complicates the formulation of both the very concept of conservatism and its basic ideas and principles.
The term itself comes from the Latin verb conservare - "save." Accordingly, the main idea of conservatism is to maintain the existing order. Such an interpretation provoked a somewhat snobbish understanding of conservatism as something stagnant, retrograde and nasty to progress. The coming to power of representatives of this trend in many states of Western Europe (for example, in France or Germany) and the subsequent economic upsurge showed that such an interpretation is far from the truth.
General provisions of conservative ideology
Given the internal heterogeneity of this trend, one can still note some of the main principles of conservatism. First of all, they include some provisions of the philosophical order, such as the recognition of human imperfection in the existence of a single moral and religious order, the belief in the inherent inequality of people and the rejection of the idea of the infinity of reason. From a social point of view, conservatism advocates the need to maintain a rigid class hierarchy and proven institutions. Politically, the main ideas of this trend are clearly secondary, and their formulations are derived from liberal or socialist slogans.
Classic conservatism
The common features in conservative platforms have changed significantly in parallel with the development of society. Therefore, it is advisable to highlight certain internal boundaries in the development of ideas and principles of conservatism.
The classical period (late 18th-19th centuries) is characterized by opposition to the liberal current from the position of the aristocratic strata of society. The basic tenets of the current are being formed as a reaction to the promotion of the principles of the free market, fundamental human rights and universal emancipation.
In the first half of the XX century. ultra-right ideologies are created on the basis of conservatism, which include racism, nationalism, chauvinism and anti-Semitism. The radicalization of the course during the period of the World Economic Crisis of 1929-1933 is especially noticeable, when conservative ideologists turned to the denial of democratic principles and the use in the political struggle of methods for physically eliminating rivals.
Neoconservatism
Since the second half of the XX century. the fundamental principles of the classical conservative ideology are revised: they adapt to the needs of the emerging post-industrial society. The success of the governments of Margaret Thatcher in the UK and Ronald Reagan in the United States allowed political scientists to talk about the phenomenon of neoconservatism, despite some controversy of such a term.
Attitude to this trend remains ambiguous. Political scientists point out that the flip side of significant economic growth is the impoverishment of the lower strata of society. An even greater criticism of neoconservative ideology was caused by its proclamation of the possibility of expansion to protect national interests. The attack on the sovereignty of other states could take place both in the cultural or economic spheres, and take the form of open hostilities.
Socio-economic program
It is based on the principle of antietatism, that is, restrictions on government intervention in market activity. It is from here that difficulties arise in the formulation of concepts, since such a formulation of the question was characteristic of classical liberalism. However, this platform did become conservative, as opposed to Keynesian policies carried out in the 1930s: according to neoconservatives, excessive state intervention in the economic sphere led to the strangulation of free enterprise.
Another modification of the principles of conservatism manifested itself in relation to the social lower classes. The global economic crisis has led to a sharp increase in unemployment, the lack of social guarantees for many sectors of society, so within Keynesianism there was a constant increase in the allocation of various benefits. The neoconservatives strongly opposed this state of affairs, believing that instead of supporting the marginalized people and the consequent lack of interest in finding a job, the state should conduct advanced training or retraining courses. The result of this approach was also a tight monetary policy and tax cuts for the most affluent.
Features of Russian conservatism
The biggest difference between the Russian Empire and Western European countries was the maintenance of serfdom until 1861. This left its mark on the formation of the basic principles of conservatism in Russia. Since the autocracy excluded the possibility of parliamentarism, the confrontation of currents was carried out only in the ideological sphere.
One of the first Russian conservatives was Prince M. M. Shcherbatov. In contrast to liberal statements about the need to abolish serfdom, he stated that there was no need for that. Firstly, peasants already use most of the land for their own food, and secondly, without the supervision of the landowners, they simply pauperize. The third counterargument of Shcherbatov was that the liberation of the peasants from the land would lead to the impoverishment of the nobility - the most enlightened class of the empire, which is fraught with a social explosion.
Slavophiles
The lack of tradition of political struggle has led to the fact that conservatism in its pure form has not yet formed in Russia. His ideology was replaced by the Slavophiles, who saw in Russia a self-sufficient force capable of successfully resisting both internal and external problems while maintaining traditions.
The main object of criticism of the Slavophiles was the reforms of Peter I, the essence of which, in their opinion, consisted in the artificial and forcible transfer of Western orders to Russian soil without taking into account the possibilities of their adaptability. Hence the rejection of the reforms of Alexander II, in which they also saw the thoughtless breaking of social foundations. F. M. Dostoevsky pointed this out especially persistently, who opposed the Russian Orthodox culture to the Western way of life. However, in the end, Russian conservatism was caught between radical left and right movements and was unable to fulfill its amortizing function.
Conservatism as a legal principle
The principles of conservatism and progressiveness, which determine the basis of modern legal systems of Roman law, combined the orientation to the previous legal practice with the assumption of new interpretations of existing laws. From this point of view, conservatism seems to be a kind of shield against thoughtless reform of legislation. In fact, this principle has become the only guarantee of maintaining the existing social system and form of government. An even more important consequence of this was the maintenance in society of respect for law and law.