"Conservatism"

If you are familiar with this blog's format, you may be wondering why this post's title seems to be a simple examination of a subject, rather than being in the form of a myth like the others.  But no, that is not the case.  The myth in question here IS "conservatism"--or rather that what is called the "conservative movement"-- in America in this day and age..  Now don't get me wrong, there was once a conservative side to the political debate here.  One which acknowledged our history, and held a nuanced view of what was practicable as opposed to what might be ideal.  It was one which held a somewhat pessimistic view of human nature, but nonetheless believed in a social contract, in which all had certain responsibilities, and in return that all were entitled to certain rights, privileges and most importantly an equality before the law--that is, that regardless of station, each person was of equal value.  There was suspicion of the common rabble acting as a mob, but there was no talk of people being a "waste of oxygen" as Rush Limbaugh is known to call some. In fact, the difference between this classical conservatism and the more liberal or democratic sentiments of any given age was far less than that radical and strident difference between the modern pseudo-conservatism and either of the above. 

In the America's revolutionary generation, there were more traditional individuals, and there were more liberal individuals, but there were no modern "conservatives." That generation drew upon the philosophy of John Locke:

 "The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that... being all the workmanship of one omnipotent, and infinitely wise maker; all the servants of one sovereign master... there cannot be supposed any such subordination among us, that may authorize us to destroy one another, as if we were made for one another's uses" 

Whether religious or secular. our founding generation was united in a revolution for the cause of Humanism, pure and simple.  After the war that accompanied this revolution, there were differences in how best to achieve the Lockean ideal.  As well many of the disloyal wealthy returned from their expatriation and formed one of the two interest groups (along with the Slave Power) who corrupted the politics of the following generations.  But if we are to look at foundational principals modern "conservatism" is absent from them.  the elements didn't really come together as a cohesive ideology until the 20th Century.  This process began in Italy during the 1920's with something that sounded rather like the modern Tea Party movement or perhaps a bit like the Libertarian Party platform:

“The State must have a police, a judiciary, an army, and a foreign policy. All other things, and I do not exclude secondary education, must go back to the private activity of individuals. If one wants to save the State, the Collectivist State must be abolished.”  -- Benito Mussolini

And indeed the founder of what is now called libertarianism said in 1929 that Fascism was "at least the lesser evil" to Bolshevism. Unfortunately the Neoliberal movement later would adopt the view with Pinochet other such stooges, that Fascism was preferable to democracy... but I digress...

The next development into the modern right came in Germany during the early 1930's as the Wiemar Republic fell victim to crushing war reparation debt.  The Hindenburg government appointed 'Liberal' Hjalmar Schacht as minister of finance, and an enterprising member of the Nazi party as Chancellor due to his perceived ability to sell austerity to the working classes. Chancellor Hitler went to work appealing to the 'job creators' as well, telling the Dusseldorf Industry Club:

"Let no one say that the picture produced as a first impression of human civilization is the impression of its achievement as a whole. This whole edifice of civilization is in its foundations and in all its stones nothing else than the result of the creative capacity, the achievement, the intelligence, the industry, of individuals: in its greatest triumphs it represents the great crowning achievement of individual God-favored geniuses."[1]

For the rabble that he dismissed so readily to these "God-favored geniuses" he stooped to appeal to their most simplistic prejudices, such as:

"The National Government will regard it as its first and foremost duty to revive in the nation the spirit of unity and co-operation. It will preserve and defend those basic principles on which our nation has been built. It regards Christianity as the foundation of our national morality, and the family as the basis of national life"[2]

and...

"Secular schools can never be tolerated because such schools have no religious instruction, and a general moral instruction without a religious foundation is built on air; consequently, all character training and religion must be derived from faith"[3]

and even...

"Whereas previously the programs of the liberal, intellectualist women's movements contained many points, the program of our National Socialist Women's movement has in reality but one single point, and that point is the child, that tiny creation which must be born and grow strong and which alone gives meaning to the whole life-struggle"[4]

And having set this foundation, the troglodyte factions were easily bent to a system of privatization of social services to the churches and civic organizations (like the coercive NGO known as the Nazi Winter Help), the subsidizing of industry through 'tax remissions', reducing the power of unions to almost nothing and even the   heartless dismissal of the victims of misfortune:

"We have founded a system based on the most sincere foundation there is, namely: Form your life yourself! Work for your existence! Help yourself and God will help you!"[5]

If there are those who think that this is all very conservative, I dare say it is not.  It is only Fascist.  For our founders believed in better things, like:

"Government is instituted for the common good, for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people, and not for the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore the people alone have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government, and to reform, alter, or totally change the same when their protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness require it."
-- from Declaration of Rights of Massachusetts (1780) 

"We must not conclude merely upon a man's haranguing upon liberty, and using the charming sound, that he is fit to be trusted with the liberties of his country. It is not unfrequent to hear men declaim loudly upon liberty, who, if we may judge by the whole tenor of their actions, mean nothing else by it but their own liberty, — to oppress without control or the restraint of laws all who are poorer or weaker than themselves"

-- Samuel Adams; from an untitled essay in the Independent Advertiser (1748)

"if my Countrymen should ever wish for the Honour of having among them a Gentry enormously wealthy, let them sell their Farms and pay rack'd Rents; the Scale of the Landlords will rise as that of the Tenants is depress'd who will soon become poor, tattered, dirty, and abject in Spirit...  And the Effect of this kind of Civil Society seems only to be, the depressing Multitudes below the Savage State that a few may be rais'd above it"

-- Benjamin Franklin; from letter to Joshua Babcock (Jan. 13. 1772)

"MANKIND being originally equals in the order of creation, the equality could only be destroyed by some subsequent circumstance: the distinctions of rich and poor may in a great measure be accounted for and that without having recourse to the harsh ill-sounding names of oppression and avarice" 

-- Thomas Paine; from 'Common Sense' (1776)

"legislators cannot invent too many devices for subdividing property, only taking care to let their subdivisions go hand in hand with the natural affections of the human mind. The descent of property of every kind therefore to all the children, or to all the brothers and sisters, or other relations in equal degree is a politic measure, and a practicable one. Another means of silently lessening the inequality of property is to exempt all from taxation below a certain point, and to tax the higher portions of property in geometrical progression as they rise." 

-- Thomas Jefferson; from letter to James Madison, (Oct. 28, 1785)

"The great object should be to combat the evil: 1. By establishing a political equality among all; 2. By witholding unnecessary opportunities from a few to increase the inequality of property by an immoderate, and especially an unmerited, accumulation of riches; 3. By the silent operation of laws which, without violating the rights of property, reduce extreme wealth towards a state of mediocrity and raise extreme indigence towards a state of comfort; 4. By abstaining from measures which operate differently on different interests, and particularly such as favor one interest at the expense of another; 5. By making one party a check on the other so far as the existence of parties cannot be prevented nor their views accommodated. If this is not the language of reason, it is that of republicanism."

-- James Madison; from 'Parties' (1792)

and...

"All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God."

--Thomas Jefferson (to Roger C. Weightman, June 24, 1826)

If only the eyes could be so opened in this generation :(


_____________________________________________________________________

[1] --  Adolf Hitler; from speech to Dusseldorf Industry Club (Jan. 27, 1932)
[2] -- Adolf Hitler; from national proclamation (February 1, 1933)
[3] -- Adolf Hitler; at Nazi-Vatican Concordat (April 26, 1933)
[4] -- Adolf Hitler; from speech to the National Socialist Women’s League (September 8, 1934) 
[5]  -- Adolph Hitler; from speech in Wilhelmshaven (Apr. 1, 1939)

further reading:
http://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/12319/RSCAS_2009_46.pdf?sequence=2
http://www.ub.edu/graap/nazi.pdf