An Exploration of the Fundamental Differences Between Conservatism and Liberalism

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An Exploration of the Fundamental Differences between Conservatism and Liberalism Introduction As far back as the American Revolution there were opposing ideologies or philosophies as to how our government should operate. On the one hand you had Torries who wished to remain British Subjects. On the other you had Patriots who wanted to break with England and start their own Country as Freemen. During the drafting and ratification of our Constitution you had the Federalist and the anti-Federalist. They represented two sides of the same coin, which is betterment of American society. They simply differ on which path will lead to greater prosperity for our nation. The modern conservatives and liberals have continued to embody opposing philosophies of how our nation should moves forward. So what are these differences exactly? Conservatives have strong core values based on a fundamentalist interpretation of the Constitutional role of the Federal Government whereas liberals have strong core values based on a progressive interpretation of the Constitutional role of the Federal Government. As a result of these differences in core values conservatives and liberals have very different views of the world. Body “Conservatives and Liberals approach almost every issue with completely different philosophies, underlying assumptions, and methods.” (Hawkins) The most obvious difference between the two ideologies is their view of government. Liberals believe that government should have an active role in social and economic equality, as well as solving problems, and that capitalism works best when there is government regulation to curbs its excesses. (Bardes, Shelley II and Schmidt) Conservatives advocate personal responsibility and a smaller government with regard to economic regulation, but may seek greater government intervention into matters of national security and in
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