Classical Liberalism Essay

442 Words2 Pages
In the first source, a quote from Edmund Burke, he is articulating his ideology on how government officials should represent constituents in a democracy. Edmund Burke was the founder of classical conservatism, which fundamental values are based on an elitist hierarchy, limited freedom, and equality before the law (Rule of Law). He is expressing one of the elemental points of classical conservatism, the unhindered action of the upper class. The reasoning for the government being constructed this way is due to the idea that lower classes were lacking in material and monetary wealth, as well as education. In classical conservatism, the upper class, or elitists, were in power, not the entire society. The elitists were expected to regulate the lower class, and were given the right to decide for everyone, whether or not the decisions were beneficial to all classes. This belief, exemplified in Edmund Burke’s quote, is a direct contrast to democratic liberalism. Democratic liberalism is an ideology where the government commends each and every citizen’s opinion on how a country should operate. This form of democracy ensures that each person of the country is conscious and acknowledges the government’s decisions, as well as being part of the decision-making. The quote strongly opposes the ideology of democratic liberalism, but identifies with classical conservatism as well as elitism. Therefore, the concept of elitism contrasts the ideology of democratic liberalism. The second source addresses a neutral comparison of democratic liberalism and classical conservatism. The author of the quote, Louis Brandeis, states that by both ideologies cannot coexist in the same society. Classical conservatism believes that only the wealthy and educated, or elite, people should be in power of government. They assume that uneducated are incapable of making sound decision based on what
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