Political ideologies coupled with mild political views strive to create a balance between individual liberty and rights and government’s power to regulate peoples’ behavior and maintain status quo. The balanced that is created as a result of incorporating various political ideologies and political views has implications on government structure, economy, political discourse and other facets of the society. Although this is true, most political ideologies embrace change that will restore and maintain social stability, but proponents of various political ideologies fail to agree on the most suitable ideology thus eliciting a heated debate on this subject. Liberalism and conservatism are two types of political ideologies, which offer diverge views on how to strike and maintain a balance between governments’ power and individual freedom and rights. They have existed for many years and have shaped political discourse in the world. However, both ideologies are similar and different in certain aspects, especially based on their historical approach and impact on the global politics. The paper seeks to compare and contrast liberalism and conservatism ideologies and elaborate their impact in the global politics.
Liberalism is broad political ideology that was coined by John Locke in 19th century. It addresses diverse ideas in the discipline of philosophy and political science, but more fundamentally, emphasizes the need for the government to incorporate concepts of individual right and liberty in leadership and governance (Henretta, 84). Locke articulated that liberalism is anchored on the principle of ensuring that the rule of law is delinked from orthodox and tradition tenets of authority-that infringes rights and liberty of individuals. In essence, the government is morally obliged to serve the interests of the people and society that it governs and seek consent and respect rights of the people, as envisioned in natural laws. Under the provisions of natural laws, individuals have right and liberty to own and dispose property, and the government has the moral duty to protect these values and principles.
In the same breath, liberalism is anchored on the principle of opposing the establishments of government institutions, which will violate rights and liberty of individuals and community governed. People aspire to achieve the goal of enjoying freedom and the right to dispose and own property in life, but one is restrained by various obstacles such as norms, law and traditions, which should be controlled to protect individual rights (Harrison& Tony 110).
Liberalism ideology believes the humans have rational potential to be good and excel in life, but it is the moral responsibility of the government and the community to develop effective systems to enhance peoples’ potential. The government should plan and formulate effective policies because it is perceived as the only agent that can enable people to transform the society. However, people should control power bestowed on the government to achieve this objective.
Historically, liberalism ideology came into existence in the era of enlightenment, but it has evolved over years. Initially, it emerged as means to protect rights of people who were oppressed by dictatorial regimes, but it has changed into a powerful agent that influences politics in most countries. Liberalism focuses on reducing government’s power and empowering individuals. It embraces change and it has been used in most countries to promote democracy and overthrow dictatorial regimes from power. In America, the Democratic Party is liberal in nature as it has advocated for freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, enactment of free and fair trade policies and liberty to participant in democratic elections; a move that has changed political discourse in America and the world.
Conservatism is a political thought that strives to maintain the “status quo” by placing more focus on institutions and systems, which subscribe to past traditions, customs and norms. In essence, it opposes to any planned change because it believes that change disrupts social order and status quo in the community and that individuals should respect the existing systems (McCullough 67).
Conservatism articulates that humans are naturally selfish and they are driven by their irrational and egocentric thoughts to pursue certain goals. Although all humans have discretion to pursue for their selfish and irrational goals and interests, their actions and behavior ought to be restrained by the existing social systems. In the same vain, conservatism proclaims that people are not the same and the principle of equality is not applicable in the society. Basically, people differ in abilities, skills and values that they hold and that individuals should be rewarded based on their achievements as envisioned in modern conservatism. Furthermore, it acknowledges the role that super natural power plays in articulating human needs and maintaining social order in the society. The current social unrest coupled with political turmoil in the world is a manifestation that people should seek divine intervention to restore peace, harmony, tranquility and order in the society.
It reaffirms that humans are social being and they need to experience a sense of emotional and physical attachment to others. In order to realize this goal, individuals should live in a community where they can interact, associate and connect with other people, but one needs to sacrifice personal needs, interest and gratification for the collective good of others. A community provides individuals with a sense of belonging and acts as a powerful agent to promote transformation, order, peace and harmony-which are core goals of conservatism. Although this is the case, there are several obstacles including radical change, invention and lack of effective control mechanism that hinder the realization of these fundamental goals.
Conservatism remains a powerful component that has shaped political discourse of many years. Conservatives represents a group of politicians who oppose radical change and subscribe to certain ideals, values and principles. In most case, conservatives represent the “right-wing”-a given portion of the population that supports ideologies of a given party. In American, the Republican Party is anchored on conservatism ideology; a move that has shaped political environment of the country. The same trend has been replicated in other democratic states.
Similarities
Both liberalism and conservatism ideologies acknowledge that there is a need to restrain peoples’ power to maintain stability and social order. Liberalism postulates that individuals have right and liberty to dispose and own property and engage in any behavior or action without interference, but the society should establish mechanism and institutions, which will regulate and manage behavior and actions of individuals. Conservatism echo that it is not right to provide people with immerse power because humans are naturally untrustworthy. As a result, the existing institutions should limit peoples’ power and authority. Additionally, the various facets of the society such as economy, trade and politics should also be restrained.
Both liberalism and conservatism ideologies affirm that humans are not perfect or good. Liberalism acknowledges that in an ideal and rational society, not all people are perfect because there are those who violate laws and engage in deviant behaviors. Similarly, conservatism clearly indicates that humans are naturally imperfect because they cannot be trusted and they are driven by their selfish motives. As a result, they should be treated with contempt.
Differences
Liberalism claims that the government should respect and uphold liberty and rights of individuals because people and the community are more superior to the state. In essence, the government should seek consent of the people and community it governs to promote social order, stability and harmony. Consequently, conservatism claims that the existing systems and institutions need to be respected because they are superior to individuals. This means that social order, stability and harmony cannot be realized unless people respect the established systems and rule of law.
Whereas liberalism believes that people are rationally good and they can excel in life if the government provides them with favorable platform to maximize their inner ability, conservatism hold the view that people are naturally selfish and they cannot be termed as good. As a result, peoples’ behavior and action need to be restrained to restore and maintain social order and status quo.
Liberalism views the concept of equality as a right to all people, but conservatism view inequality as natural phenomena. Conservatism articulates that it is not wrong for the society to be unequal because people differ in terms skills, personality traits, values and other constructs. In other words, there those people who were born to rule others and nobody can change this natural phenomenon from taking its course. On the other hand, liberalism believes that all people are equal because they can maximize their potential and learn new skills when provided with a favorable environment. Based on these assertions, it is evident that liberalism and conservatism ideologies are similar and different in many aspects and have shaped political discourse in the globe.
Works cited
Harrison, Kevin, and Tony Boyd. Understanding Political Ideas and Movements a Guide for A2 Politics Students. Manchester, UK: Manchester UP ;, 2003. Print.
Henretta, James A. Republicanism and Liberalism in America and the German States, 1750-1850. Cambridge: Cambridge UP ;, 2002. Print.
McCullough, H. B. Political Ideologies. Don Mills, Ont.: Oxford UP, 2010. Print
