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Ideologies Defined

Decent Essays

Distinguish between liberal and conservative ideologies in the discipline of political philosophy. How is this distinction different from the language of liberal and conservative as it relates to the American political spectrum?

Introduced by the intellectuals of the Enlightenment and given legitimacy by the economics of the Industrial Revolution, Liberalism in Europe developed and newly espoused the notion that man was free to choose to live his life and earn his way as he saw fit. Personal freedom was an inherent right, and that society would best be served by each individual being able to perform to the best of his ability, and that the needs of society as a whole would be better met by a population choosing to perform its …show more content…

Conservatism under Otto von Bismarck enacted the first unemployments insurance programs, and in England enacted a minimum income requirement, and in the case that the individual earned less than that amount, the government provided them the difference to ensure no one would go without. Liberalism is that sense is viewed as highly selfish in comparison, with no structured method of enforcing personal accountability.
The American diversion from the European model requires the understanding that by definition, all American political ideology is based upon Liberalism as it's underlying philosophy. American Liberalism maintains that individual freedom is sacrosanct, and fiercely opposes government intervention in social regulation, while at the same time accepting that the government is best able to provide social welfare programs to ensure that no one in society is left behind. It is less ordered than the Classical Liberalism that it descends from, with what I believe is a fundamental contradiction in the requirement of personal liberty being preserved at all costs and of the expectation that governmental assistance will ensure a standard of living and maintain order and control.
American Conservatism is founded on

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