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Social conservatism

 

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Social conservatism


 
 

Social conservatism is a political or moral ideology that affirms fidelity to the behaviours associated with a culture's traditions and beliefs which 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 countriesNordic countries

The Nordic countries, sometimes also the Nordic region or in English usage Scandinavia, comprise a region in Northern...
 and Continental EuropeContinental Europe

Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, exp...
. Here it refers to liberal conservativesLiberal conservatism

Liberal conservatism is a variant of conservatism that combines the classical conservative concern for established tradition...
 supporting modern European welfare stateWelfare State

The Welfare State of the United Kingdom was the result of the William Beveridge Report in 1942, which identified five "Giant...
s.

Present Social Conservative Issues in the United States


  • favor the pro-lifePro-life

    Pro-life is a term representing a variety of perspectives and activist movements in bioethics....
     position in the abortion controversy
  • favor restriction of civil marriageCivil marriage

    Civil marriage or secular marriage is a marriage which is performed by a government official and not a religious organ...
     and child adoption rights to couples in heterosexual relationships
  • promote public moralityPublic morality

    Public morality refers to moral and ethical standards enforced in a society, by law or police work or social pressure, and a...
     and traditional sexual values
  • protect key American industries like defense, certain raw materials, and agriculture from foreign competition
  • promote a traditional family model as society's foundation
  • support governmentGovernment

    A government is a body that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws within a civil, corporate, religious, a...
    's involvement in values educationPublic education

    Public education is education mandated for the children of the general public by the government, whether national, regional,...
     and character developmentCharacter development

    Character development is a part of characterization through which a story teller informs the audience about the character's ...
  • oppose secularismSecularism

    Secularity is the state of being free from religious or spiritual qualities....
     and privatizationPrivatization

    Privatization is the transfer of property or responsibility from the public sector to the private sector ....
     of religious belief
  • support prison reformPrison reform

    Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, aiming at a more effective penal system. ...
    , with greater focus on punitive measures rather than rehabilitation
  • oppose human cloningHuman cloning

    Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of an existing, or previously existing, human being or growing...
     and federal financing for embryonic stem-cell research
  • protect Second AmendmentSecond Amendment to the United States Constitution

    Amendment II of the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, declares the necessity for "a well reg...
     rights
  • oppose illegal immigrationIllegal immigration

    Illegal immigration refers to the immigration of people across national borders in violation of the immigration laws of the ...
     and support extensive government monitoring of national borders
  • reduce, reform or eliminate federal assistance programs and the United States' welfareWelfare

    Welfare has four primary meanings:...
     system
  • support lower taxes, with spending focused on education, defense, and infrastructureInfrastructure

    Infrastructure, most generally, is a set of interconnected structural elements that provide the framework supporting an enti...


Social vs. Other Conservatisms

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 of a social market economy to further this aim. This concern for material welfare, like advocacy of traditional moresMores

Mores are strongly held norms or customs....
, 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 BavariaChristian Social Union of Bavaria

The Christian Social Union of Bavaria is a Christian democratic political party in Germany....
, the Family FirstFamily First

Family First may refer to:*Family First Party, an Australian political party...
 and Democratic Labor PartyDemocratic Labor Party

The Democratic Labor Party is a minor political party in Australia....
 of AustraliaAustralia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland o...
, the so-called red toryRed Tory

See also*Tory*Canadian Conservatism*Blue Tory...
 movement in CanadaCanada Overview

Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America....
, 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 conservativeCultural conservatism

Cultural conservatism is conservatism with respect to culture....
 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 AmericaLatin America Overview

Latin America is the region of the Americas where Romance languages those derived from Latin are officially or primarily s...
n countries. And in most areas, it’s not even part of a person’s consciousness."

Social Conservative Political Parties

Many Christian Democratic PartiesChristian Democracy

Christian Democracy is a heterogeneous political ideology and movement....
 around the world are socially conservative.

Australia
  • Democratic Labor PartyFacts About Democratic Labor Party

    The Democratic Labor Party is a minor political party in Australia....
  • Family FirstFacts About Family First

    Family First may refer to:*Family First Party, an Australian political party...
  • Christian Democratic PartyChristian Democratic Party (Australia)

    The Christian Democratic Party is a minor political party in Australia....
  • A large number of Liberal PartyLiberal Party of Australia

    The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian liberal conservative political party....
    , National PartyNational Party of Australia

    The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party....
    , and to a lesser extent Labor PartyAustralian Labor Party

    The Australian Labor Party is Australia's oldest political party....
     members in Australia are also considered socially conservative.


Belgium
  • Vlaams BelangVlaams Belang

    Vlaams Belang is a Belgian political party....



Canada
  • Christian Heritage Party of CanadaChristian Heritage Party of Canada

    The Christian Heritage Party of Canada is a federal political party that advocates the governance of Canada according to "t...
  • A large number of Conservative PartyConservative Party of Canada

    The Conservative Party of Canada, colloquially known as the "Tories", is a right-of-centre political party in Canada, formed...
     members in Canada are considered socially conservative.


Chile
  • Independent Democrat UnionIndependent Democrat Union

    The Independent Democrat Union is Chile's most conservative political party....



France
  • Movement for FranceMovement for France

    The Movement for France, or MPF, is a conservative, traditionalist and nationalist party, founded on November 20, 1994, with...
  • Forum of Social RepublicansForum of Social Republicans

    The Forum of Social Republicans is a conservative christian-democratic party in France....
  • Union for a Popular MovementUnion for a Popular Movement

    The Union for a Popular Movement, initially named the Union for the Presidential Majority, and more usually known from...
  • National FrontNational Front Overview

    The name National Front is used by a number of political parties and coalitions....



Germany
  • Christian Social Union of BavariaChristian Social Union of Bavaria

    The Christian Social Union of Bavaria is a Christian democratic political party in Germany....
  • Partei Bibeltreuer Christen


India
  • Bharatiya Janata PartyBharatiya Janata Party

    The Bharatiya Janata Party , literally meaning Indian People's Party, created in 1980, is one of the two major national ...



Ireland
  • Muintir na hÉireannFacts About Muintir na hÉireann

    The Muintir na h?ireann or People of Ireland Party was a minor socially conservative populist political party which wa...



Italy
  • Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e di Centro


Japan
  • New Komeito PartyNew Komeito Party

    align="center" colspan="2">*Japan*Liberal Democratic Party...



Nigeria
  • People's Democratic Party (PDP)People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)

    The People's Democratic Party is a centrist political party in Nigeria....
  • All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)


Sweden
  • Sweden DemocratsSweden Democrats

    Sweden Democrats , founded in 1988 by Leif Zeilon, is a Swedish far right political party....



United Kingdom
  • Democratic Unionist PartyDemocratic Unionist Party

    The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger, and the more hardline, of the two main Unionist parties in Northern Ireland....



United States
  • Constitution PartyConstitution Party (United States)

    The Constitution Party is a conservative third party in the United States, founded as the U.S....
  • A large portion of members of the Republican PartyFacts About Republican Party (United States)

    For a detailed history and bibliography see History of the United States Republican Party....
     are self-identified social conservatives.

Resources

External Links



Books
  • Carlson, AlanAllan C. Carlson

    Allan C. Carlson is a scholar of the family, and is the president of the Howard Center, a director of the Family in America ...
    , The Family in America: Searching for Social Harmony in the Industrial Age (2003) ISBN 0-7658-0536-7
  • Carlson, AlanAllan C. Carlson

    Allan C. Carlson is a scholar of the family, and is the president of the Howard Center, a director of the Family in America ...
    , Family Questions: Reflections on the American Social Crisis (1991) ISBN 1-56000-555-6
  • Fleming, Thomas, The Politics of Human Nature, (1988) ISBN 1-56000-693-5
  • Gallagher, Maggie, The Abolition of Marriage: How We Destroy Lasting Love (1996) ISBN 0-89526-46 4-1
  • Himmelfarb, Gertrude, The De-moralization Of Society (1996) ISBN 0-679-76490-9
  • Hitchens, Peter, The Abolition of BritainThe Abolition of Britain

    The Abolition of Britain is a book by Peter Hitchens, first published in the UK by Quartet Books in 1999, and then in a ...
    . (1999) ISBN 0-7043-8117-6
  • Jones, E. Michael, Degenerate Moderns: Modernity As Rationalized Sexual Misbehavior. (1993) ISBN 0-89870-447-2
  • Kirk, Russell, The Conservative Mind, 7th Ed. (2001) ISBN 0-89526-171-5
  • Magnet, Myron, Modern Sex: Liberation and Its Discontents (2001) ISBN 1-56663-384-2
  • Medved, Diane and Dan Quayle, The American Family: Discovering the Values That Make Us Strong (1997) ISBN 0-06-092810-7
  • Sobran, Joseph, Single Issues: Essays on the Crucial Social Questions (1983) ISBN 1-199-24333-7.


Social Conservative News Services



Social Conservative Web Sites


See also

  • Christian DemocracyChristian Democracy

    Christian Democracy is a heterogeneous political ideology and movement....
  • ConservatismConservatism

    Conservatism is a political philosophy that necessitates a defense of established values or the status quo....
  • PaleoconservatismFacts About Paleoconservatism

    Paleoconservatism is an anti-authoritarian right wing movement that stresses tradition, civil society and classical federali...
  • Pro-lifePro-life

    Pro-life is a term representing a variety of perspectives and activist movements in bioethics....
  • Communitarian
  • Traditionalist world view (American)Traditionalist world view (American)

    The American traditionalist world view is a concept referring to the socially conservative set of beliefs, particular to United St...
  • Social conservatism (Canada)Social conservatism (Canada)

    Canadian social conservatives openly support notions of natural law, tradition and conservative family values and policies....
  • DistributismDistributism

    Distributism, also known as distributionism and distributivism, is a third-way economic philosophy formulated by...
  • Social progressivismSocial progressivism

    Social progressivism is the view that as time progresses, so should societal mores and morality....