Liberals vs' Conservatives

1
Liberals vs. Conservatives

• How do we define liberalism and conservatism
  in a 19th century perspective
• What relationships do liberals and conservatives
  have with centralism and federalism?
• Where does the Catholic Church fit in?
• How do 19th century liberals and conservatives
  deal with issues of gender?

2
Liberalism

• Based upon political and economic principles
  formulated in late 18th and 19th Great Britain
  and the United States
• Political principles belief in a contract
  between those who govern and the people, no
  taxation without representation, separation of
  church and state-more egalitarian-but in practice
  accepted strong central governments
• Economic principles free trade, theories of
  comparative advantage (Ricardo)-looked to Europe
• Social principles does little to challenge
  patriarchy within the family although it is
  considered undemocratic---leads women like Mary
  Wollenstonecraft to object (1792)
• How does this apply to Latin America?

3
Conservatism

• Belief in Hispanic, Catholic traditions
• Supportive of authoritarian regimes
• Supported strong central governments
• Often supported monarchy in the Americas
• Tended to defend local privilege and economic
  traditions
• Believed in the subordination of women to
  patriarchy and church
• Wanted to restrict voting rights, particularly to
  ethnic and racial minoritiesbelieved in
  Republicanism, rather than democracy---many
  liberals agreed on this
• The problem of creating an effective executive
  authority often brought consensus to both groups

4
Constitutions

• Both liberals and conservatives created
  constitutions that discussed how the form of
  government to be followed
• Conservatives tended to support federalism, or an
  alliance of regions or states, with a weak
  central government
• Liberals tended to support a strong central
  state, with an equally strong executive power
• In practice, both supported strong executives,
  although liberals adopted them later, not in many
  early constitutions
• Liberals often wanted the central government to
  control revenues, particularly duties on
  importation
• Both groups patterned their constitutions on US
  Constitutions