Conservative liberalism

Conservative liberalism, also referred to as right-liberalism,^[1]^{[page needed]}^[2] is a variant of liberalism combining liberal values and policies with conservative stances, or simply representing the right wing of the liberal movement.^[3] In the case of modern conservative liberalism, scholars sometimes see it as a less radical variant of classical liberalism; it is also referred to as an individual tradition that distinguishes it from classical liberalism and social liberalism.^[4]^[5] Conservative liberal parties tend to combine economically liberal policies with more traditional stances and personal beliefs on social and ethical issues.^[specify]^[6] Ordoliberalism is an influential component of conservative-liberal thought, particularly in its German, British, Canadian, French, Italian, and American manifestations.^[7]

In general, liberal conservatism and conservative liberalism have different philosophical roots. Historically, liberal conservatism refers mainly to the case where conservatives embrace the elements of classical liberalism, and conservative liberalism refers to classical liberals who support a laissez-faire economy as well as socially conservative principles (for instance, Christian family values). Since classical liberal institutions were gradually accepted by conservatives, there is very little to distinguish liberal conservatives from conservative liberals.^[8] Neoconservatism has also been identified as an ideological relative or twin to conservative liberalism,^[9] and some similarities exist also between conservative liberalism and national liberalism.^[10]^[11]

^ Nelson, Keith L. (2019). The Making of Détente: Soviet-American Relations in the Shadow of Vietnam. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-1421436210. ... and even today our political parties can most appropriately be described as "right liberal" (those who fear government) and "left liberal" (those who fear concentrated wealth).
^ Orlowski, Paul (21 June 2011). Teaching About Hegemony: Race, Class and Democracy in the 21st Century. Springer Science+Business Media. p. 110. ISBN 978-9400714182. This pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps idea is part of the conservative and right liberal ideologies.
^ Mair, Peter; Gallagher, Michael; Laver, Michael (2001). Representative Government in Modern Europe: Institutions, Parties, and Governments (3rd ed.). McGraw Hill Education. p. 221. ISBN 0072322675. Retrieved 22 March 2025. Within the first strand, an emphasis on individual rights has led to a concern for fis- cal rectitude and opposition to all but minimal state intervention in the economy. This right-wing strand of liberalism has been particularly important in Austria, where the Freedom party used to be regarded as the most rightist of European liberal parties, but is now better grouped with the extreme right (we discuss this later in this chapter). The right-wing strand is also important in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, and this is the position toward which the Progressive Democrats in Ireland have now gravitated. Thus, this brand of liberalism has tended to emerge in countries that are also characterized by strong Christian democratic parties and hence where the anticlerical component of liberalism was once important. Indeed, anticlericalism in these countries has two distinct forms, being represented on the left by socialist and/or communist parties and on the right by secular liberal parties.
^ Allen, R. T. Beyond Liberalism: The Political Thought of F. A. Hayek and Michael Polanyi. Transaction Publishers. p. 2. ISBN 978-1-4128-1807-0.
^ Cite error: The named reference EuroLiberal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Content". Parties and Elections in Europe. 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2023. Liberal conservatism: Liberal conservative parties combine conservative policies with more liberal stances on social and ethical issues.
^ Kenneth Dyson (2021). "Introduction". In Kenneth Dyson (ed.). Conservative Liberalism, Ordo-liberalism, and the State: Discipling Democracy and the Market. Oxford University Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-19-885428-9.
^ Johnston, Larry (2007). Politics: An Introduction to the Modern Democratic State (3rd ed.). Peterborough, Ont.: University of Toronto Press. pp. 154–155. ISBN 978-1442600409.
^ Roger Scruton. "Liberal Conservatism, Not Conservative Liberalism" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ Telos. Telos Press. 1998. p. 72.
^ Shannan Lorraine Mattiace, ed. (1998). Peasant and Indian: Political Identity and Indian Autonomy in Chiapas, Mexico, 1970–1996. University of Texas at Austin.

[1] Nelson, Keith L. (2019). The Making of Détente: Soviet-American Relations in the Shadow of Vietnam. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-1421436210. ... and even today our political parties can most appropriately be described as "right liberal" (those who fear government) and "left liberal" (those who fear concentrated wealth).

[2] Orlowski, Paul (21 June 2011). Teaching About Hegemony: Race, Class and Democracy in the 21st Century. Springer Science+Business Media. p. 110. ISBN 978-9400714182. This pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps idea is part of the conservative and right liberal ideologies.

[Mair-3] Mair, Peter; Gallagher, Michael; Laver, Michael (2001). Representative Government in Modern Europe: Institutions, Parties, and Governments (3rd ed.). McGraw Hill Education. p. 221. ISBN 0072322675. Retrieved 22 March 2025. Within the first strand, an emphasis on individual rights has led to a concern for fis- cal rectitude and opposition to all but minimal state intervention in the economy. This right-wing strand of liberalism has been particularly important in Austria, where the Freedom party used to be regarded as the most rightist of European liberal parties, but is now better grouped with the extreme right (we discuss this later in this chapter). The right-wing strand is also important in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, and this is the position toward which the Progressive Democrats in Ireland have now gravitated. Thus, this brand of liberalism has tended to emerge in countries that are also characterized by strong Christian democratic parties and hence where the anticlerical component of liberalism was once important. Indeed, anticlericalism in these countries has two distinct forms, being represented on the left by socialist and/or communist parties and on the right by secular liberal parties.

[4] Allen, R. T. Beyond Liberalism: The Political Thought of F. A. Hayek and Michael Polanyi. Transaction Publishers. p. 2. ISBN 978-1-4128-1807-0.

[EuroLiberal-5] Cite error: The named reference EuroLiberal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Nordsieck_contents-6] "Content". Parties and Elections in Europe. 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2023. Liberal conservatism: Liberal conservative parties combine conservative policies with more liberal stances on social and ethical issues.

[“Dyson2021”-7] Kenneth Dyson (2021). "Introduction". In Kenneth Dyson (ed.). Conservative Liberalism, Ordo-liberalism, and the State: Discipling Democracy and the Market. Oxford University Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-19-885428-9.

[8] Johnston, Larry (2007). Politics: An Introduction to the Modern Democratic State (3rd ed.). Peterborough, Ont.: University of Toronto Press. pp. 154–155. ISBN 978-1442600409.

[9] Roger Scruton. "Liberal Conservatism, Not Conservative Liberalism" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.

[10] Telos. Telos Press. 1998. p. 72.

[11] Shannan Lorraine Mattiace, ed. (1998). Peasant and Indian: Political Identity and Indian Autonomy in Chiapas, Mexico, 1970–1996. University of Texas at Austin.

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