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Conservatives and the role of the state - Coggle Diagram
Conservatives and the role of the state
ORDER & AUTHORITY
Disiplinary function
Main goal of conservative state is to provide order, security and authority
Without order there could be no liberty
there could be no order until the emergence of clear, undisputed laws backed by firm authority
The state precedes society
Believed that liberal notions of 'natural rights' are fanciful
Individuals rights are entirely dependent on law and order
Which only the state can provide
ORGANIC ORIGINS
Have a Hobbesian (cynical) view of the state's function
Hobbes was heavily committed to 'government by consent' and the notion of a state 'rationally' created by a 'contract' between the government and governed
Whereas conservatives are sceptical about states that arise momentously, from a formal 'rational' discussion
Conservatives argue that these states are likely to be normative, not empirical and based on ideals rather than reality
Conservatives prefer a state that emerges gradually, unpredictably and without a fuss
An organic and pragmatic response to humanity's needs
THE NATION STATE
19th and 20th century tended to emphasise a state based on nationhood
The nation became a mega community, one that enfolded all classes and therefore provided a 'natural' basis for the state
For continental conservatives there remains a powerful sense that the nation preceded the state
The nation and the state being very different things
E.g. Germany and Italy
For British and American conservatives nation and state are much more intertwined, with the state serving to define much of the nation itself - hence the importance of constitutions, monarchs and presidents (expressions of British and American identity)
This would also explain why British conservatives have had a much greater attachment to the nation-state than continental conservatives, and much less enthusiasm for European political union
Both British and American conservatives see any diminution of the nation-state as a diminution of the nation itself
For new right conservatives (GB&US) like Nozick and Rand if the nation-state is burdened by nationalised industries and welfare states, it is then harder for it to focus on its 'true' function of order and security
A RULING CLASS
Comfortable with a state that is overly hierarchal
Reflecting the elitist society they also endorse
The traditional conservative state acknowledges the notion of a ruling class, whose power will often be aristocratic and hereditary rather than democratic
Traditional conservative (from Burke onwards) were keen to signal the merits of a class that was born and trained to rule the state (mindful of its paternalistic responsibilities to society as a whole)
For this reason, the traditional conservative state would again show pragmatic and empirical characteristics, legislating whenever there was evidence to suggests new laws were necessary. and governing so as to ensure order and social cohesion
This meant the conservative state would avert social upheaval and revolution whilst maintaining traditional patterns of wealth and power in society