Social conservatism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section has multiple issues. Please help improve the article or discuss these issues on the talk page.
|
Social conservatism is a political or moral ideology that believes government and/or society have a role in encouraging or enforcing traditional values or behaviors based on the belief that these are what keep people civilized and decent. A second meaning of the term social conservatism developed in the Nordic countries and continental Europe. There 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.
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. Social conservatives in many countries generally: favor the pro-life position in the abortion controversy and oppose embryonic stem cell research; support the death penalty, oppose same-sex marriage and other marriages social conservatives consider the establishment of to be contrary to traditional marriage, and the nuclear family model as society's foundational unit; oppose expansion of civil marriage and child adoption rights to couples in same-sex relationships; promote public morality and traditional family values; oppose secularism and privatization of religious belief; support the prohibition of drugs, prostitution and euthanasia; and support the censorship of pornography and what they consider to be obscenity or indecency.
Many Christian democratic around the world are socially conservative.
Contents |
[edit] Social conservatism and economics
There is no necessary link between social and fiscal conservatism; some social conservatives are otherwise apolitical or even arguably left-wing on economic issues. Social conservatives may support a degree of economic intervention. This concern for material welfare, like advocacy of traditional mores, will often have a basis in religion. Examples include the Christian Social Union of Bavaria, the Family First Party and National Party of Australia, 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. John Burger, wrote in Crisis magazine in 2005: "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]
[edit] List of social conservative political parties
Australia
- National Party
- A large number of Liberal Party, Family First Party and to a lesser extent Labor Party members in Australia are also considered socially conservative.
Austria
Belgium including far right and separatist ideas
Canada
- Family Coalition Party of Ontario
- Christian Heritage Party of Canada
- A small number of Conservative Party members in Canada are considered socially conservative.
Chile
Czech Republic
France
- A number of Union for a Popular Movement members in France as considered socially conservative.
- including the Forum of Social Republicans, UMP affiliate
and, including far right and nationalist ideas
Germany
Greece
India
Iran
Ireland
Israel
Italy
and, with nationalist and separatist ideas
Japan
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Poland
Philippines
Slovakia
Serbia
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom
- The Cornerstone Group, a faction of the Conservative Party
- Democratic Unionist Party
United States
[edit] See also
- Antifeminism
- Paleoconservatism
- Pro-life
- Communitarian
- Social conservatism (Canada)
- Distributism
- Social progressivism
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- Carlson, Alan, The Family in America: Searching for Social Harmony in the Industrial Age (2003) ISBN 0-7658-0536-7
- Carlson, Alan, 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 Britain. (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.
[edit] External links
- What is a social conservative? This link lacks objectivity because it is too partisan. The article makes a number of unsupported and false or highly opinionated claims. Surely examples can be given without resorting to unnecessary smears or making unsubstantiated claims, whether positive or negative. Thus, this link does a disservice to Wikipedia and should not be considered worthy of inclusion.
- The Interim
