What are the core ideas of conservatism, and how do its traditions and thinkers differ?
Core Political Ideas (Conservatism): the core ideas and principles (pragmatism, tradition, human imperfection, organic society, paternalism, libertarianism), the tensions between traditional, one-nation and New Right conservatism, and the required thinkers.
An Edexcel A-Level Politics Core Political Ideas answer on conservatism, covering pragmatism, tradition, human imperfection, organic society and paternalism, the tensions between traditional, one-nation and New Right conservatism, and the required thinkers Hobbes, Burke, Oakeshott, Rand and Nozick.
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What this dot point is asking
Edexcel wants you to explain the core ideas and principles of conservatism (pragmatism, tradition, human imperfection, the organic society or state, paternalism and libertarianism) and how they apply to human nature, the state, society and the economy, the tensions between traditional conservatism, one-nation conservatism and the New Right, and the ideas of the required thinkers. The Section B essay is worth 24 marks and you must apply the thinkers.
Core ideas and principles
The required core ideas, with how each applies to human nature, the state, society and the economy:
- Pragmatism. A flexible, "what works" approach: conservatives distrust grand theory and prefer cautious, practical reform. This underpins traditional and one-nation flexibility.
- Tradition. The accumulated wisdom of past generations, providing stability and a connection between the generations; institutions that have endured are presumed valuable (Burke's "democracy of the dead").
- Human imperfection. Humans are psychologically imperfect (security-seeking), morally imperfect (capable of selfishness and crime) and intellectually imperfect (the world is too complex to remake by reason). This justifies authority, order and tradition.
- Organic society/state. Society is a living organism, greater than the sum of its individuals, in which hierarchy, authority and a sense of obligation hold the parts together.
- Paternalism. Benign rule from above in the people's interests, interpreted as authoritarian by traditional conservatives and as noblesse oblige (an obligation on the wealthy to help the less fortunate) by one-nation conservatives, and rejected by the New Right.
- Libertarianism (neo-liberalism). The New Right strand that upholds liberty and free choice, especially in the economy, maximising autonomy and the free market.
Tensions within conservatism
The deepest tension is over the economy and the state: traditional and one-nation conservatives accept an interventionist, paternalist state, while the neo-liberal New Right wants a minimal economic state. There is also tension within the New Right itself, since neo-liberal economic freedom can clash with neo-conservative social control. Where they broadly agree is on a strong state for order and security, rooted in human imperfection.
The required thinkers
You must apply these thinkers in the Section B essay; focus on their key ideas, not biography.
- Thomas Hobbes (1588 to 1679). Without authority, human nature produces a "war of all against all"; an ordered society needs a strong sovereign to balance security and freedom. The foundation of the conservative case for order.
- Edmund Burke (1729 to 1797). Change should be cautious and organic ("change in order to conserve"), and the inherited practices of generations deserve respect (tradition and empiricism). The intellectual father of traditional conservatism.
- Michael Oakeshott (1901 to 1990). Society is unpredictable and humans imperfect, so politics should be pragmatic, not the pursuit of abstract perfection ("to be conservative is to prefer the familiar to the unknown").
- Ayn Rand (1905 to 1982). Objectivism champions rational self-interest and a pure laissez-faire capitalist economy, supplying the New Right's economic individualism.
- Robert Nozick (1938 to 2002). Libertarianism and self-ownership: individuals own their bodies, talents and labour and cannot be used as a resource, so the state must be minimal. The New Right's philosophical defence of the minimal state.
Examples in context
- Burke on the French Revolution, warning against remaking society by abstract reason, the model of cautious organic change.
- Disraeli's One Nation reforms, illustrating paternalist noblesse oblige to bind rich and poor.
- Thatcherism, the practical New Right marriage of neo-liberal economics and neo-conservative social policy.
- Nozick's minimal "night-watchman" state, the philosophical basis for rolling back the economic state.
Try this
Q1. Explain and analyse three core ideas of conservatism. [9 marks]
- Cue. Pragmatism, tradition and human imperfection, each developed with a thinker.
Q2. To what extent is conservatism united on the role of tradition? [24 marks]
- What the marker wants. A two-sided AO1 to AO3 essay applying Burke and Oakeshott against the New Right's forward-looking individualism, reaching a justified judgement.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Edexcel 201920 marksTo what extent do conservatives agree on the role of the state? You must use the thinkers you have studied. Reworded from a 24-mark Section B essay to fit the schema; argue both sides and reach a judgement.Show worked answer →
A Section B 24-mark Core Ideas essay (shown as 20), marked on AO1, AO2 and AO3, that must apply the required thinkers. Structure by area of agreement and disagreement, not by thinker in turn.
Disagreement: traditional and one-nation conservatives accept a paternalist, interventionist state (Burke's organic change, Disraeli's One Nation), while the New Right wants a minimal economic state (Rand and Nozick on the free market and self-ownership), so they disagree sharply on the economy.
Agreement: most conservatives accept a strong state on law and order (human imperfection requires authority, per Hobbes), and even the New Right keeps a robust state for security.
A Level 5 answer weighs the deep disagreement on the economic state against the shared belief in order, applies named thinkers accurately, and reaches a judgement, for example that conservatives disagree more than they agree on the state's economic role.
Edexcel 202120 marksTo what extent is human imperfection the foundation of conservative thought? You must use the thinkers you have studied. Reworded from a 24-mark Section B essay to fit the schema; argue both sides and reach a judgement.Show worked answer →
A Section B 24-mark essay (shown as 20) on AO1, AO2 and AO3 that must use thinkers. Plan around how far human imperfection underpins the other core ideas.
For: human imperfection (psychological, moral and intellectual) underpins the conservative defence of tradition, authority, hierarchy and order (Hobbes's need for a sovereign, Oakeshott's scepticism about reason), so it is foundational.
Against: the New Right rests more on individualism and the free market (Rand's objectivism, Nozick's self-ownership) than on pessimism about human nature, and pragmatism and tradition can stand on their own, so imperfection is not the sole foundation.
A Level 5 answer judges that human imperfection is foundational for traditional and one-nation conservatism but less so for the New Right, applying thinkers accurately throughout.
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Sources & how we know this
- Pearson Edexcel A-Level Politics (9PL0) specification — Pearson Edexcel (2017)