Whither the Conservative Movement? pg. 13
progressively abandoned,” he stated, “that freedom in economic affairs without which personal and political freedom has never existed in the past.” With this passage, Hayek effectively links the New Deal with the National Socialist Party of Hitler, and indicates that any such efforts are in total opposition to the sum total of the western idea of individual liberty.
A decade later, Frank Meyer would look to Britain for a political ideology that fit his beliefs (Meyer, 1955). He found a comfortable philosophy in the words of the British Whigs of the previous generation (Meyer, 1996). Specifically, he connected modern American conservatism with the political writings of Edmund Burke. Conservatives were not only for limited government, but would look to the past for inspiration from heritage as well as ongoing theoretical work.
Russell Kirk solidified the connection between Burke and American conservatism. For the purposes of this paper, that portion of Burke’s writings that Kirk identifies as upholding the concept of property as an intrinsic building block of personal liberty (Kirk, 1960). It was a small step to tie personal wealth to personal property. This tied in with Milton Friedman’s economic treatise (Friedman, 1962) where he built an idea of legitimate governmental action as being limited and dispersed as necessary conditions for the guarding of individual liberty. This also put the conservative political theories on a broader, more solid ground by providing an economic basis for arguments of personal liberty.
The overall effect was a significant body of literature that set a coherent political philosophy of liberty being locked within the individual man’s control of his own actions and life. Primary to this sense of liberty was the ability to control property, including
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A decade later, Frank Meyer would look to Britain for a political ideology that fit his beliefs (Meyer, 1955). He found a comfortable philosophy in the words of the British Whigs of the previous generation (Meyer, 1996). Specifically, he connected modern American conservatism with the political writings of Edmund Burke. Conservatives were not only for limited government, but would look to the past for inspiration from heritage as well as ongoing theoretical work.
Russell Kirk solidified the connection between Burke and American conservatism. For the purposes of this paper, that portion of Burke’s writings that Kirk identifies as upholding the concept of property as an intrinsic building block of personal liberty (Kirk, 1960). It was a small step to tie personal wealth to personal property. This tied in with Milton Friedman’s economic treatise (Friedman, 1962) where he built an idea of legitimate governmental action as being limited and dispersed as necessary conditions for the guarding of individual liberty. This also put the conservative political theories on a broader, more solid ground by providing an economic basis for arguments of personal liberty.
The overall effect was a significant body of literature that set a coherent political philosophy of liberty being locked within the individual man’s control of his own actions and life. Primary to this sense of liberty was the ability to control property, including
Click Here for Page 14
© 2004 by Xpatriated Texan
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