Social conservatives
 
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Social conservatism is a political or moral ideology that affirms the government's role in encouraging or enforcing traditional values or behaviors in the belief that these are what keep people civilized and decent. However, the accepted meaning of traditional morality often differs from group to group within social conservatism. Thus, there are really no policies or positions that could be considered universal among social conservatives. There are, however, a number of principles to which at least a majority of social conservatives adhere.

A second meaning of the term has developed in the Nordic countries and Continental Europe. Here it refers to liberal conservatives supporting modern European welfare states.

Social conservatism is distinct from cultural conservatism which focuses on cultural aspects of the issues, such as protecting one's culture. Although there are some overlaps.

Contents

Present social conservative issues in the United States

Social conservatism and economic systems

There is no necessary link between social and fiscal conservatism. In fact, some social conservatives are otherwise apolitical or even left-wing on fiscal issues. For example, social conservatives may also support a degree of government intervention in the economy, and as such will tend to support the concept economic intervention to further this aim. This concern for material welfare, like advocacy of traditional mores, will often have a basis in the religion of the social conservatives in question. Whereas a fiscal conservative is only concerned with conserving limited taxes to protect their money, a social conservative is more concerned with conserving traditional values, beliefs, and ideals. Examples include the Christian Social Union of Bavaria, the Family First and Democratic Labor Party of Australia, the so-called red tory movement in Canada, and the Communitarian movement in the United States.

There is more overlap between social conservatism and paleoconservatism in that they both have respect for traditional social forms. However, paleoconservatism has a strong cultural conservative strain which social conservatism, in and of itself, is not necessarily allied with. For example, John Burger, writing in Crisis Magazine in 2005, said:

"The presence of a significant population of culturally Catholic immigrants offers hope that their culture will permeate a decadent American society and contribute to the re-evangelization of native-born Catholics. . . Abortion is still illegal in most Latin American countries. And in most areas, it’s not even part of a person’s consciousness." [1]

Social conservatism and confessionalism

Many Christian Democratic Parties and Muslim parties around the world are socially conservative.

Social conservatism and nationalism

In Europe, some social conservative parties also support nationalism, regionalism and to a certain extent xenophobia, based on ideas according to which the national wealth and the traditional values would loose from free immigration and free trade.

However, these positions are contradictory with Christian religious beliefs and repetitively criticized by representatives of Catholic and Protestant churches. Dominant conservative parties, also called moderate right parties refrain from nationalism, trying to integrate citizens from ethnic minorities.

List of social conservative political parties

Australia

Belgium including far right and separatist ideas

Canada

Chile

France

and, including far right and nationalist ideas

Germany

India

Ireland

Italy

and, with nationalist and separatist ideas

Japan

Nigeria

Sweden

United Kingdom

United States

Resources

External Links

Books

Social Conservative News Services

Social Conservative Web Sites

References

  1. ^ http://www.crisismagazine.com/julaug2005/burger.htm

See also
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