New Right Conservatism

• What came as part of the New Right Movement?

  Thatcherism
• The term ‘New Right’ was used to describe a set of political values and ideas, largely emerging in the USA in the 1970s and 1980s, which were adopted by many conservatives throughout the developed world.
• What was the New Right a reaction against?

  • Socialist ideas gaining ground in Europe, Asia and South America
  • Traditional conservative values that were seen as too weak to deal with contemporary economic and social policies.
• The movement can be divided into two different aspects:

  • neo liberalism
  • neo conservatism
• Thatcherism argued for the importance of individual need over society
• Thatcherism proposed a small state where the role of government and state intervention is reduced
• Thatcherism supported self reliance
• Thatcherism endorsed business deregulation and industry privatisation
• Thatcherism supported reduced trade union powers
• Thatcherism placed importance on national sovereignty
• Thatcherism supported few taxes and making the welfare state smaller by limiting benefits
• Thatcherism has a more assertive and dogmatic (uncompromising on principles) approach
• By the 1970s, the effectiveness of one-nation conservatism was being undermined by large-scale industrial unrest. Trade unions were increasingly demanding higher wages for their workers, challenging the principle that a Conservative government could successfully unite all sections of society.