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social conservatism

Social conservatism is a political or moral ideology that affirms the government's role in encouraging or enforcing traditional values or behaviors in the belief that these are what keep people civilized and decent. However, the accepted meaning of traditional morality often differs from group to group within social conservatism. Thus, there are really no policies or positions that could be considered universal among social conservatives. There are, however, a number of principles to which at least a majority of social conservatives adhere.

A second meaning of the term has developed in the Nordic countries and Continental Europe. Here it refers to liberal conservatives supporting modern European welfare states.

Social conservatism is distinct from cultural conservatism which focuses on cultural aspects of the issues, such as protecting one's culture. Although there are some overlaps.

Present social conservative issues in the United States

favor the pro-life position in the abortion controversy

support restriction of civil marriage and child adoption rights to couples in homosexual relationships

promote public morality and traditional family values

promote the nuclear family model as society's foundational unit

oppose secularism and privatization of religious belief

Social conservatism and economic systems

There is no necessary link between social and fiscal conservatism. In fact, some social conservatives are otherwise apolitical or even left-wing on fiscal issues. For example, social conservatives may also support a degree of government intervention in the economy, and as such will tend to support the concept economic intervention to further this aim. This concern for material welfare, like advocacy of traditional mores, will often have a basis in the religion of the social conservatives in question. Whereas a fiscal conservative is only concerned with conserving limited taxes to protect their money, a social conservative is more concerned with conserving traditional values, beliefs, and ideals. Examples include the Christian Social Union of Bavaria, the Family First and Democratic Labor Party of Australia, the so-called red tory movement in Canada, and the Communitarian movement in the United States.

There is more overlap between social conservatism and paleoconservatism in that they both have respect for traditional social forms. However, paleoconservatism has a strong cultural conservative strain which social conservatism, in and of itself, is not necessarily allied with. For example, John Burger, writing in Crisis Magazine in 2005, said:

"The presence of a significant population of culturally Catholic immigrants offers hope that their culture will permeate a decadent American society and contribute to the re-evangelization of native-born Catholics. . . Abortion is still illegal in most Latin American countries. And in most areas, it’s not even part of a person’s consciousness." http://www.crisismagazine.com/julaug2005/burger.htm

Social conservatism and confessionalism

Many Christian Democratic Parties and Muslim parties around the world are socially conservative.

Social conservatism and nationalism

In Europe, some social conservative parties also support nationalism, regionalism and to a certain extent xenophobia, based on ideas according to which the national wealth and the traditional values would loose from free immigration and free trade.

However, these positions are contradictory with Christian religious beliefs and repetitively criticized by representatives of Catholic and Protestant churches. Dominant conservative parties, also called moderate right parties refrain from nationalism, trying to integrate citizens from ethnic minorities.

List of social conservative political parties

Australia

Democratic Labor Party

Family First

Christian Democratic Party

A large number of Liberal Party, National Party, and to a lesser extent Labor Party members in Australia are also considered socially conservative.

Belgium
including far right and separatist ideas

Vlaams Belang

Canada

Family Coalition Party of Ontario

Christian Heritage Party of Canada

A large number of Conservative Party members in Canada are considered socially conservative.

Chile

Independent Democrat Union

France

Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP) Union for a Popular Movement

Forum des républicains sociaux (FRS), Forum of Social Republicans
and, including far right and nationalist ideas

Mouvement pour la France (MPF), Movement for France

Front National (FN), National Front

Mouvement National Républicain (MNR), National Republican Movement

Germany

Christlich-Soziale Union (CSU), Christian Social Union of Bavaria

Partei Bibeltreuer Christen (PBC), Party of Bible-abiding Christians

India

Bharatiya Janata Party

Shiv Sena Party

Ireland

Muintir na hÉireann

Italy

Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e di Centro (UDC), Union of Christian and Centre Democrats

Alleanza Nazionale (AN), National Alliance
and, with nationalist and separatist ideas

Lega Nord (LN), Northern League

Japan

New Komeito Party

Nigeria

People's Democratic Party (PDP)

All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)

Sweden

Sweden Democrats

United Kingdom

British National Party

Conservative Party

Democratic Unionist Party

United States

Constitution Party

Republican Party

Resources

External Links

What is a social conservative?

Books

Carlson, Alan, The Family in America: Searching for Social Harmony in the Industrial Age (2003) ISBN 0-7658-0536-7

Carlson, Alan, Family Questions: Reflections on the American Social Crisis (1991) ISBN 1-56000-555-6

Fleming, Thomas, The Politics of Human Nature, (1988) ISBN 1-56000-693-5

Gallagher, Maggie, The Abolition of Marriage: How We Destroy Lasting Love (1996) ISBN 0-89526-46 4-1

Himmelfarb, Gertrude, The De-moralization Of Society (1996) ISBN 0-679-76490-9

Hitchens, Peter, The Abolition of Britain. (1999) ISBN 0-7043-8117-6

Jones, E. Michael, Degenerate Moderns: Modernity As Rationalized Sexual Misbehavior. (1993) ISBN 0-89870-447-2

Kirk, Russell, The Conservative Mind, 7th Ed. (2001) ISBN 0-89526-171-5

Magnet, Myron, Modern Sex: Liberation and Its Discontents (2001) ISBN 1-56663-384-2

Medved, Diane and Dan Quayle, The American Family: Discovering the Values That Make Us Strong (1997) ISBN 0-06-092810-7

Sobran, Joseph, Single Issues: Essays on the Crucial Social Questions (1983) ISBN 1-199-24333-7.

Social Conservative News Services

The Interim

Social Conservative Web Sites

Alliance of Social Conservatives of the United States