What are the core ideas of conservatism and how do its strands differ?
The core ideas and principles of conservatism, the differences between traditional, one-nation and New Right conservatism, and the views of the key thinkers Hobbes, Burke, Oakeshott, Rand and Nozick.
A focused answer to AQA A-Level Politics on the core ideas of conservatism, the differences between traditional, one-nation and New Right conservatism, and the views of the key thinkers Hobbes, Burke, Oakeshott, Rand and Nozick.
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What this dot point is asking
AQA wants you to explain the core ideas of conservatism (human nature, the state, society and the economy), distinguish traditional, one-nation and New Right conservatism, and apply the ideas of the five key thinkers: Thomas Hobbes, Edmund Burke, Michael Oakeshott, Ayn Rand and Robert Nozick. Conservatism is a core ideology in Paper 1, Section B, examined with a 9-mark "explain and analyse three" and a 25-mark essay.
Core ideas of conservatism
Several core ideas recur. Human imperfection is the foundation: conservatives see people as psychologically imperfect (craving security and belonging), morally imperfect (capable of selfishness and crime) and intellectually imperfect (unable to grasp a complex world through reason alone). Because humans are flawed, society needs order and authority to provide security and restrain disorder. Pragmatism follows from intellectual imperfection: policy should be judged by what works, guided by experience and tradition, not by rationalist ideology. Tradition is valued because it embodies the accumulated wisdom of past generations and gives society stability and identity. The organic society is the idea that society is a living whole, greater than the sum of its parts, in which institutions like the family, the nation and the church bind people together. From this flows acceptance of hierarchy and paternalism: inequality and rank are natural, and those at the top owe obligations to those below (noblesse oblige). On the economy, traditional conservatives accept property and markets but distrust pure laissez-faire, while the New Right embraces free markets.
Traditional, one-nation and New Right
Traditional conservatism is the oldest strand, rooted in Burke and Hobbes, prizing order, hierarchy, the organic society and cautious change. One-nation conservatism, named after Disraeli's warning against "two nations" of rich and poor, accepts social reform and limited welfare on pragmatic and paternalist grounds: by improving the lot of the poor, the propertied classes protect the social order from revolution. It shaped the post-war consensus. The New Right emerged in the 1970s as a reaction against that consensus. Its two wings sit in tension: neo-liberalism wants free markets, a minimal state, low taxes and self-reliant individuals (drawing on classical liberalism and thinkers like Nozick and Rand), while neo-conservatism wants a strong state on law, order, defence and morality, defending traditional values and national identity. The New Right slogan, a "free economy and a strong state", captures the union of these wings.
The key thinkers
- Thomas Hobbes (1588 to 1679): in Leviathan (1651) he argued that in a state of nature, life is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short", a war of all against all; rational people therefore consent to a strong sovereign with absolute power to guarantee order and security. The classic case for authority over a pessimistic view of human nature.
- Edmund Burke (1729 to 1797): reflecting on the French Revolution, he argued society is a partnership "between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born"; reform should be cautious and organic so we "change in order to conserve", rejecting the abstract rationalism of revolutionaries.
- Michael Oakeshott (1901 to 1990): in Rationalism in Politics (1962) he argued that politics is a practical, not a theoretical, activity; human reason is limited, so we should rely on tradition and experience, "preferring the familiar to the unknown".
- Ayn Rand (1905 to 1982): her philosophy of objectivism champions rational self-interest, atomistic individualism, free-market capitalism and a minimal state; an important influence on New Right neo-liberalism.
- Robert Nozick (1938 to 2002): in Anarchy, State, and Utopia (1974) he argued from self-ownership that individuals have inviolable rights, so only a minimal "nightwatchman" state limited to protecting people and property is justified; redistribution is a violation of rights.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20189 marksExplain and analyse three conservative ideas about human nature. (Paper 1, Section B, core ideologies)Show worked answer →
A 9-mark question needs three separate, developed points with named thinkers and analysis of why each follows from conservative thought.
One: human imperfection. Conservatives see humans as psychologically imperfect (seeking security and belonging), morally imperfect (capable of selfishness and crime) and intellectually imperfect (the world is too complex to grasp through abstract reason). Hobbes captured the moral and psychological side: without authority, life is a "war of all against all".
Two: scepticism about reason. Oakeshott argued that human reason is limited, so politics should be pragmatic and rooted in tradition and experience, not in rationalist blueprints. This is why conservatives distrust revolution.
Three: the need for order and authority. Because humans are flawed, society needs strong authority, hierarchy and established institutions to provide security and restrain disorder; Hobbes justified the sovereign on exactly these grounds.
Markers reward the three dimensions of imperfection, accurate thinker support, and analysis connecting a pessimistic view of human nature to conservative conclusions about order and tradition.
AQA 20229 marksExplain and analyse three ways in which the New Right differs from traditional conservatism. (Paper 1, Section B, core ideologies)Show worked answer →
This is a tensions question, so emphasise genuine disagreement within conservatism.
One: the role of the state. Traditional and one-nation conservatives accept a paternalist, interventionist state; the neo-liberal wing of the New Right (Nozick, Rand) wants a rolled-back minimal state and free markets.
Two: the individual versus the organic society. Traditional conservatism stresses the organic society, hierarchy and obligation; New Right neo-liberalism stresses atomistic individualism and self-reliance, closer to classical liberalism.
Three: continuity versus radicalism. Conservatism is usually cautious and gradualist (Burke, Oakeshott), but the New Right was radical, seeking to reverse the post-war consensus rather than preserve it, which is in tension with conservative pragmatism.
Markers reward precise contrasts, the split inside the New Right between neo-liberal and neo-conservative wings, and analysis of why these are real tensions in the ideology.
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA A-level Politics (7152) specification — AQA (2017)