Liberals are supporters of the political philosophy of liberalism, which advocates the individual freedom first of all, while conservatives follow a current of thought called conservatism, which mainly defends the maintenance of traditions in society.
These two ideologies have different purposes, they can be opposed in some aspects but also agree in others.
The main difference between liberals and conservatives is that liberals seek changes that favor individual freedom so that a society can progress. Conservatives prefer to maintain norms and traditions to defend collective values.
Another difference is that conservatives are protectionists and they defend nationalism, in accordance with their ideas of maintaining national values and identity. While Liberals reject any kind of trade restrictions and advocate for internationalism.
However, over the years, some conservatives have adopted ideas of liberalism, especially in the economic sphere. Both liberals and conservatives defend the capitalist socio-economic system and together they oppose other ideologies such as socialism and communism..
An example of the common ideas that conservative liberalism defends, which is how the fusion of the two currents is known, is the defense of private property over public property.
Consequently, the union of these two ideologies in the political sphere is very common today, as well as the union between many other political philosophies.
| Liberals | Conservatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Position before the role of the State | Non-interventionist rule of law, which guarantees individual freedom and the equality of all before the law. | State that acts whenever society needs it. |
| Faced with economic policy | Free trade where there are no regulations to encourage private initiative. | Regulations to protect national production. |
| Before public spending | Reduction of government expenditures and its assistance programs. | The government must guarantee the welfare of the collective whenever necessary. |
| Facing abortion | In favor of abortion in certain circumstances. | Against abortion. |
| Before the rights of homosexuals | In favor of same-sex marriage and individual rights. | Against same-sex marriage. |
| Main managers | John Locke (1632-1704) | Robert Filmer (1588-1653) |
It is the doctrine that has as its fundamental objective the freedom of the individual, above equality or any other value.
The intention of liberals is to create an environment where all members of society have the same opportunities to develop and be able to generate in a competitive environment the progress of society.
Liberals advocate for a rule of law guided by a constitution and with a division of powers, which will be defined through elections where free people participate. Thus they prevent the arbitrary exercise of power.
In addition, the function of the State will be to guarantee the freedom, rights, justice and security of the people, without interfering in the private sphere. Under this context, the equality of all before the law is established.
Regarding liberalism as an economic philosophy, proposes that there be no intervention in the economy by the State, but only to guarantee the legal framework within which the free market economy can develop. Private initiative must also be encouraged so that it can prosper.
Liberalism is currently present in the governments of many countries although they do not always present it in the same way, as various mergers and alterations have arisen within liberal political movements..
When we speak of conservatives we refer to those people who advocate for the maintenance of traditions, values, and religion in society to preserve stability..
The family welfare and religion are fundamental pillars of conservatism as a political current, from there the approaches in the political and social area arise.
Conservatism resists change and innovation, prefers to maintain order and political and social institutions unaltered.
The most radical position of this political philosophy is known as reactionary conservatism. This position maintains the same principles, is more directly opposed to change and seeks to recover values that have been lost..
In the economic sphere, conservatives are protectionists and nationalists, defend national production and the right to private property.
Conservatism depends on the temporal and geographical context where it occurs, since it has modified its principles throughout history to represent the majority culture of the environment where it operates..
Due to this, it is common to see conservative groups that defend the maintenance of the present political conditions, and conservative groups that seek to rescue the previous conditions..
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