English Conservatism since the Restoration An Introduction and Anthology |
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| Author:
| Eccleshall, Robert |
| ISBN: | 978-0-203-20518-1 |
| Publication Date: | Sep 2002 |
| Publisher: | Routledge
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| Book Format: | Digital (delivered electronically) |
| List Price: | USD $150.00 |
Book Description:
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English conservatism since the Restoration provides both the most incisive short account of the doctrine of conservatism available, and a selection of extracts from key writings to elucidate its argument. Robert Eccleshall traces the history of the doctrine from its origins in divine-right monarchy to the current preoccupation with the enterprise culture. Challenging the accepted view of conservatives as pragmatists who eschew philosophical abstractions, he argues that they have been...
More DescriptionEnglish conservatism since the Restoration provides both the most incisive short account of the doctrine of conservatism available, and a selection of extracts from key writings to elucidate its argument. Robert Eccleshall traces the history of the doctrine from its origins in divine-right monarchy to the current preoccupation with the enterprise culture. Challenging the accepted view of conservatives as pragmatists who eschew philosophical abstractions, he argues that they have been consistent in selectively using principles to construct a distinctive image of the social order. They have emphasisized ,on the one hand, the military virtues of duty, obedience, loyalty and submission to the authority of the state, and, on the other, the need for political leadership by a 'natural aristocracy' or entrepeneurial elite.