Why Conservatism?

About the lecture

In this module, we think about why conservatism emerged precisely in the later eighteenth century, focusing in particular on: (i) the two trends in the later eighteenth century that conservatives wanted to slow down, if not prevent altogether – industrialisation and secularisation; (ii) the two particular fears of conservatism – revolution and liberalism; (iii) the five bases of support for conservatism – the state, the monarchy, the aristocracy, the peasantry, and the church.

About the lecturer

Jeremy Jennings is Professor of Political Theory at King's College, London. His research focuses upon the history of political thought in France. He is presently finishing a book provisionally entitled Travels with Tocqueville and is acting as co-editor of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of French Thought. A larger, long-term project is to write a history of the concept of liberty.