Q.5 What is Conservatism? Explain.
Conservatism, political doctrine that emphasizes the value of
traditional institutions and practices. Conservatism is a preference for the historically
inherited rather than the abstract and ideal. This preference has traditionally
rested on an organic conception of society—that is, on the belief that society
is not merely a loose collection of individuals but a living organism
comprising closely connected, interdependent members.
Conservatives thus favour institutions and practices that
have evolved gradually and are manifestations of continuity and stability. Conservatism,
Government’s responsibility is to be the servant, not the master, of existing
ways of life, and politicians must therefore resist the temptation to transform
society and politics.
This suspicion of government activism distinguishes
conservatism not only from radical forms of political thought but also from
liberalism, which is a modernizing, antitraditionalist movement dedicated to
correcting the evils and abuses resulting from the misuse of social and
political power. Conservatism, In The Devil’s Dictionary (1906), the American
writer Ambrose Bierce cynically (but not inappropriately) defined the conservative
as “a statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the
Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others.”
Conservatism must also be distinguished from the reactionary
outlook, which favours the restoration of a previous, and usually outmoded,
political or social order. Conservatism, It was not until the late 18th
century, in reaction to the upheavals of the French Revolution (1789), that
conservatism began to develop as a distinct political attitude and movement.
