Authors: Hermet, Badie, Birnbaum & Braud
Summary: In about 480 words, the entry begins with a generic definition of the term and then analyzes its development from an historical perspective.
According to the authors, the concept refers to a political propensity opposing the social and political upheavals triggered by the French revolution earlier and by the Industrial one later. Conservatism, even if not particularly nostalgic for the Old Regime, tends to favor the status quo and oppose any change. Thus, even if not anti-libertarian, it fights against liberty "excesses". In the meantime, exactly in the name of private property, conservatism strongly opposes socialism and any form of collectivism. In the 20th century, this inclination transformed itself in acute anticommunism, sometimes as fascism, sometimes as democratic socialism. It opposes totalitarian systems, especially the planning and nationalist tendencies of centralized regimes.
The positive features of conservatism include the praise of a competent, pragmatic âlite and the plea for personal responsibility and moral discipline. In this sense it shares some principles with Catholicism and clericalism.