Differences between Liberalism and Conservatism and How the Principles Differ in the U.S.

Liberalism and Conservatism
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Liberalism and Conservatism
Introduction
The most critical concepts impacting American politics are liberalism and conservatism. The two ideologies differ based on three factors of the American culture, which include political freedom, human nature, and government roles. The ideology of liberalism started to promote liberty and individual rights (Ball & Girvetz, 2019). Modern liberalism has shifted as it tends to focus on the role of government in solving social issues instead of personal initiatives (Ball & Girvetz, 2019). On the flip side, conservatism ideology insists more on traditional values and organizations (Dagger & Minogue, 2018). It stipulates that the government should act as a servant to its citizens and not as their master. The two ideologies have had various interpretations and policy execution in the United States. Generally, the two main political parties in the country associate with different ideologies. The Democratic party conforms with liberal doctrines, while the Republican party conforms with conservative doctrines. The paper differentiates liberalism and conservatism and illustrates how the principles differ in the United States and influence culture, government, and politics.
Liberalism
Liberalism is a political doctrine that argues that the protection and enhancement of people is the main problem in politics. Liberals believe that the primary role of the government is to ensure people do not harm each other. However, they also argue that the government can threaten liberty. Rules, police, and judges secure individuals' lives and freedom, but the power can also work against the same folks secured (Ball & Girvetz, 2019). Liberals support the partitioning of the government to ensure it has the necessary power to protect the liberty of its citizens and prevent the same government from abusing its power. Since the 19th century, most liberals have maintained that government power promotes and protects people's freedom.
In contrast, modern liberalism insists that the central role of the government is to eliminate barriers preventing folks from living freely, such as poverty, discrimination, infections, and ignorance (Ball & Girvetz, 2019). The dispute among liberals on the government's role concerning individual freedom is witnessed in the various conceptions of liberalism in the United States.
Features of Liberalism
Liberalism originated from two connected western culture features. Compared to other civilizations' much emphasis on status, position, and tradition, the West's obsession with individuality is one of the features. Folks are subordinated to their clans, custom, or kingdom throughout their history. In western society, liberalism is the pinnacle of development that forms human individuality's significance. Also, liberalism is derived from the antagonism practice in the European economic and political life (Caughey & Warshaw, 2015). The process has formalized competition among various parties in elections, between market economy procedures, and competition between prosecution and defense in legal guidelines. Opposing systems have always been insecure, taking more time before individuals believe in transparency (Ball & Girvetz, 2019). During the 19th century, people did not recognize the critical role of competition in political systems and that a good government needs strong opposition. The aspect of liberalism became famous in the 20th century after various actions seeking to stop wars and solve disputes between states using organizations such as the United Nations and the International Court of Justice.
Conservatism
On the other hand, conservatism is a doctrine that insists on traditional organizations and social conduct values. It deduces that society is not just a collection of people but a living structure connected and dependent on each other. As such, conservatives support organizations and practices that have developed gradually and portray stability and continuity. Therefore, the government's responsibility is to serve its citizens and not act as a master (Dagger & Minogue, 2018). Conservatism started to act as a political attitude and a movement in the 19th century after the french revolution in 1789 (Dagger & Minogue, 2018). Supporters of the Bourbon monarchy in France introduced the term conservative in 1815 (Dagger & Minogue, 2018). Besides, the United States experienced conservatism development in the 1980s (Howard, 2016). Therefore, the United States' political center shifted to conservatism during this period. The country remained focused on fighting the cold war using traditional approaches, military operations, and technology advancements under Reagan governance (Howard, 2016). The administration also struggled on the domestic front due to various crises such as HIV/AIDS and homelessness while dealing with tough labor unions.
Features of Conservatism
A general way of differentiating conservatism from liberalism is stating that conservatives do not agree that political and social change can improve the morals of individuals. Conservatives with Christianity faith express this point by stating that individuals are responsible for original sins. Conservatives embrace personality as a principle. It sometimes goes along with left-wing politics. However, conservative nature has two features that are rarely compatible with communism. The first is lacking trust in human nature, untested innovations, and social disconnectedness in operating human affairs (Dagger & Minogue, 2018). The second feature is an aversion to theoretical argument and theorizing. Conservatives argue that philosophers' and revolutionaries' attempts to plan societies using political beliefs are misguided and result in a disaster (Dagger & Minogue, 2018). Conservatives strictly observe traditions. Concerning this, many authorities in conservatism have denied its authenticity and termed it a wordless state of mind.
Differences Made by Ideologies in the United States
American's national ideology is liberalism. It makes Americans strengthen their beliefs i...