Global Conservatives

Conservatism (Latin: conservare, "to preserve")^[1] is a political attitude and philosophy that advocates institutions and traditional practices that have developed organically,^[2][3] thus emphasizing stability and continuity.^[3] The first established use of the term in a political context was by François-René de Chateaubriand in 1819, following the French Revolution.^[4] The term has since been used to describe a variety of politicians with a wide range of views.

In Western politics, the term conservatism often refers to the school of thought based on British politician Edmund Burke's criticism of the French Revolution. Though his legacy as a conservative is disputed, he wrote against the excesses of mob rule.^[5][6][7]

R. J. White wrote: "To put conservatism in a bottle with a label is like trying to liquify the atmosphere ... The difficulty arises from the nature of the thing. For conservatism is less a political doctrine than a habit of mind, a mode of feeling, a way of living."^[8] Russell Kirk considered conservatism "the negation of ideology."^[9]

Conservative political parties have diverse views; the Liberal Democratic Party in Japan, the Republican Party in the United States, the Conservative Party in Britain, the Bharatiya Janata Party in India, the Conservative Party in Canada and the Liberal Party of Australia are all considered major conservative parties with varying positions.

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