Conserving, Liberating, Socializing, and Nationalizing

In 19th century Europe, the four major political ideologies were Conservatism, Liberalism, Socialism, and Nationalism. The ideologies were either continuations of the ideas sparked by the French Revolution or they were reactions against the French Revolution. Conservatism was definitely a reaction against the FR since its "most important guiding concept was legitimacy," which "had broad appeal as a general anti-revolutionary policy" (717).  Conservatives emphasized order, discipline, and tradition and therefore believed in a hereditary monarchy; they thought that social and political order stemmed from aristocracy, monarchy, and the church. "Liberalism's core was a commitment to individual liberties, or rights" and therefore its values stemmed from ideas suggested by both John Locke and Adam Smith (718). Liberalism called for equality before the law (get rid of tradition), direct representation in government, and unhindered economic individualism (laissez-faire). Socialism was influenced by the Enlightenment's commitment to reason and human progress and by the intensification of labor, poverty of working classes, and the new founded hierarchy of the social class. Socialists, such as Karl Marx, focused on equality, creating a following of wage workers, and the inevitable collapse of capitalism. Finally, Nationalism (fraternity), like Socialism (equality) and Liberalism (liberty), flowed from the ideas of the FR. The concept of the "nation" wasn't even created until the French Revolution. Throughout history, the national identity continued to change with further political and economic developments.