Neoconservatism

Neo-conservatism, also known as the conservative New Right, is a political movement responding to the radical social changes of the 1960s and 1970s that saw the development of what neo-conservatives would describe as permissiveness. This movement was and still is particularly influential in the USA. Neo-conservatives are anti-permissiveness as they see it as individuals doing whatever they like, for example getting divorced or having children outside of marriage. This therefore poses a challenge to authority and hierarchy, which are central to conservative thought. Permissiveness, linked to the changing social norms of the 1960s, is blamed for rising crime, divorce rates and increased rates of sexually transmitted diseases. For example, the rise in the number of single-parent families is considered responsible for what is seen as a decline of deference, leading to anti-social behaviour. Neo-conservatives can be described as social authoritarians, believing that due to the frailty and insecurity of human nature, we need strong discipline from above. Inequality is seen as natural and desirable, a belief held by all conservatives. In contrast to neo-liberalism’s reduced role for the state, neo-conservatives believe that there needs to be a limited but strong state in relation to law and order, with increased numbers of police, for example. They are also supporters of traditional family values, favouring the nuclear family as the best way to bring up children, for example, with some arguing that this family type should be protected through the tax system, therefore using the state to encourage a particular set of moral views. Neo-conservatives also oppose multiculturalism and immigration, seeing these as weakening national unity and patriotism. As a result, they are sometimes also xenophobic and can support aggressive foreign policy.