Because of the demise of traditional society, conservatism as a political ideology is irrelevant to contemporary politics. Discuss.

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“Because of the demise of traditional society, conservatism as a political ideology is irrelevant to contemporary politics.” Discuss.

The demise of traditional society has certain implications in relation to politics and conservatism as a political ideology. It implies that there has been a shift in traditional values, both in society and concerning the way in which politics is conducted in terms of what approach is taken based on ones political persuasion. Individualism has become prominent in our society and the promotion of one’s own advancement is paramount in a modern democratic state. This has proven to produce difficulties for the traditional conservatives in promoting core beliefs such as an emphasis on inevitable inequality and hierarchical preferences. It is therefore imperative to determine how society has changed; in order to establish levels of compatibility conservatism has with this contemporary society. It may be that conservatism has the ability to adapt and change to suit the more contemporary political environment. It could also be the case that conservatism is not the only ideology under threat due to the fragmentation of society and the increase in pressure politics. Therefore, the definition and implications of contemporary politics needs to be analysed to gain an insight into this matter. Another important point to consider when answering this question is the Conservative Party. The relation the political party has with its original ideological roots could give us an interesting insight to the fate of conservatism as an ideal. There is no question that society and politics change over time. The important points to consider are either if traditional society, as we know it, walks hand in hand with conservatism as an ideology or whether it has the core principles that can be applied to any contemporary situation.

This demise of traditional society can be attributed to a number of potential explanations. These include technological advances, changes in traditional social trends and the spread of individualism leading to a decline in the traditional societal makeup. Society has become more fragmented due the break down in traditional family values and gender roles. The internet has provided greater access to information, allowing people to identify and connect with a specific cause or belief, such as feminism or ecologism. It is possible to draw evidence in favour of the notion that all ideologies are under threat because total viewpoints that mobilise a collective group of similar minded individuals no longer have a place in contemporary politics. There are certain features of conservatism that have been left behind with the demise of traditional society, such as the need to establish an aristocracy and enable a social and psychological condition of inequality. It is very difficult for any electorally involved conservative to promote the idea of inevitable natural inequality within society. This tells us that in a modern context core beliefs have to be masked by other factors or clever presentation. This is not the case for ideologies such as socialism; where their core beliefs of equality are pinned for all to see. This implies that conservatism as a political ideology has become hindered by the more contemporary social context in demonstrating to the public what they are really about. It has been argued that traditional conservatism has been alienated and forced to create new secondary values, adapt or play down their more outdated principles in areas that include views on factors such as social inequality or a natural hierarchy. This implies that traditional conservatism is irrelevant as a political ideology.

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There has been a rise in ‘New Right’ conservatism that has produced strands of conservatism such as Neo-Liberalism. This could imply that conservatism is adapting to suite the political context. The different strands of conservatism have been accused of creating a misunderstanding of the doctrine of conservatism. This implies that the division within the conservative ideology is diluting or misrepresenting traditional conservatism. It also could potentially mean that unsuccessfully fused together strands of conservatism creates contradictions and highlights the incompatibility in terms of modernity. The free-market and neo-liberal economics, adopted by conservatives such as Thatcherites meant that they ‘set themselves ...

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