The origins of conservatism as a political worldview were laid at the end of the 18th century. This is not surprising if you look at the history of this time in terms of social development. The industrial revolution, which began more than a century ago, led to major transformations in the economic system and social organization. Here we mean, firstly, the formation and development
capitalist relations based on trade and competition, and secondly, the complication of the stratification of society itself: the emergence of such categories in it as the bourgeoisie and the working class. The old feudal system of subsistence farming was dying, and with it its values were dying. They were replaced by new ideas developed mainly by modern thinkers: John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Hobbes, Charles Montesquieu and others.
The French Revolution and conservative forces
Actually, this event was revolutionary to the highest degree for the historical development of Europe. For the first time, the idea of the French enlighteners about the legitimacy of the uprising of the people against the "bad" monarch was realized. The personality of the latter has finally ceasedbe inviolable. The revolution became a precedent for all other peoples of the continent and gave rise to the formation of national civil societies. At the same time, the Great French Revolution also had a very
dark pages in their history. First of all, it is the Robespierre terror. The response to mass repression was the famous work of the Englishman Edmund Burke. In his Reflections on the French Revolution, he emphasized the negatives and horrors that it brought to many people of that era. It was this pamphlet that laid the foundation for conservatism as an ideological trend that offered to resist the unrestrained impulses of the liberals. During the 19th and partly the 20th century, it received a significant theoretical justification for its fundamental foundations.
Main ideas of the current
Actually, the very concept of "conservatism" comes from the Latin word "converso" - to preserve. Conservative forces are in favor of the widespread preservation of traditional orders and values: social, political and spiritual. Thus, social traditions are upheld in domestic politics. These are national culture, patriotism, moral norms that have been established for centuries, the primacy of state interests over personal interests, the authoritative position of traditional institutions, such as the family, school, church, the continuity of social development (which, in fact, is the preservation of traditions). The work of conservative forces in foreign policy involves a bet on the creation of a strong state built on a hierarchical system. Welcomethe priority development of the country's military potential, the use of force in international relations, the preservation of historically traditional alliances, protectionism in foreign trade.
Neoconservatism
The conservative forces of the new order fully accept the idea of the need for development. However, they favor cautious and unhurried reforms. US President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher are examples of adherents of such a policy.
Conservative and non-conservative forces
It should be noted that conservatism is a certain set of political trends. For example, fascism is also a completely conservative trend that puts state power and greatness at the forefront. The enemy of the conservatives is a whole range of alternative currents, left and right: liberals, in opposition to which conservative forces once took shape, socialists, communists, and so on.
