Conservation Abbreviations

What is Conservatism?

Conservatism (also called conservatism) is a political and social stance that seeks to promote the maintenance of traditional values, practices and institutions.

Broadly speaking, conservatism values tradition, hierarchy, authority, and property rights. However, given that what is considered traditional varies by place and time, conservatism does not have fixed universal characteristics.

Conservatism focuses on stability and continuity, opposing progressive or revolutionary policies. Thus, a conservative individual is someone who advocates the permanence of the status quo or the return of the values of a bygone era.

A conservative stance can be present in various branches of society, such as politics, religion, economics, etc.

Political conservatism

Conservatism is usually related to right-wing politics and advocates the preservation of private property, personal wealth and individualism.

In politics, conservatism does not seek to prevent any social change from happening, but only those of a revolutionary character, which have profound and immediate institutional repercussions. In this sense, political conservatism understands that changes must occur from institutions and never against them.

Political conservatism assumes that tradition, family, school and religion must be the bases through which social changes must occur naturally and gradually.

Conservatism and Liberalism

Conservatism and liberalism are variant concepts that present themselves in three aspects: classical, social and economic.

In classical terms, conservatism is the ideology of the right marked by authority, order and tradition, as in classical aristocracy. In the social aspect, conservatism is the posture that enhances the hierarchy. In the economic field, conservatism is divided into three strands:

• classical economic conservatism: which favors the interests of the elite in a state
• fiscal economic conservatism: focused on economic austerity policies (spending control with the objective of achieving fiscal balance)
• Social economic conservatism: which focuses on protectionist economic policies

Liberalism, in the classical context, is the left-wing ideology that favors freedom, as in classical democracy. Socially, liberalism favors equality. In economics, liberalism takes two forms:

• Classical economic liberalism: based on complete economic freedom
• social economic liberalism: based on economic equality

Examples of conservative values

Below are some examples of classically and socially conservative values:

Liberal conservatism

Liberal conservatism is an economic and social ideology that combines conservative political elements and liberal stances.

Liberal conservatism embodies the classic view of minimal state intervention in the economy, guaranteeing all individuals the freedom to participate in the market and generate wealth. However, according to liberal conservatism, individuals cannot be totally free in other spheres of life, requiring a strong state that ensures order and, through social institutions, develops the nation’s sense of duty and responsibility.

In political terms, liberal conservatism is seen as a center-right ideology (or moderate right) that supports civil liberties and conservative social postures, always favoring the economy.

Origin of conservatism

Conservatism, as a stance of resistance to change, originated during the social, political and economic revolutions that took place in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.

The English Revolution of 1640 and the French Revolution of 1789 were largely responsible for changes in the world economic paradigm and the consequent transition to the modern world. It was these progressive movements that gave rise to capitalism, which drastically transformed the thinking and values of the time, first in Europe and then in the rest of the world.

As a natural consequence of these revolutions, the division between conservatism and progressivism emerged, that is, those who defended the maintenance of order and the current policy and those who supported changes through revolutionary movements.

As a political ideology, the origin of conservatism is often attributed to political philosophers Richard Hooker, David Hume and, above all, Edmund Burke. Burke was one of the main critics of the French Revolution, claiming that the changes of the time would destroy traditional society and institutions. He later became known as the “father of liberal conservatism”, as he had ideals contrary to those of the British Conservative party.

Conservatism in Brazil

In Brazil, conservatism is closely related to right-wing political parties, although very few parties officially call themselves conservative.

The first form of conservatism in Brazil occurred through the Conservative Party, founded around 1836 with the proposal to protect the integrity of the country, and extinguished with the establishment of the republic in 1889.

Currently, Brazilian conservatism defends the strengthening of traditional institutions such as the family, religion and school, as well as the valorization of the ideals of hierarchy and authority. Considering that there are no particularly conservative parties, conservatism in Brazil is observable through politicians such as Jair Bolsonaro, Silas Malafia or other members of the evangelical bench.

List of Acronyms Related to Conservation