Paper 1 · P1.5 (Core Ideology) · Element 1 of 8

Conservatism - core

What the topic is, in two sentences

Conservatism is a Paper 1 core ideology. The three strands - Traditional, One Nation, and the New Right (Neo-liberal + Neo-conservative) - share six core ideas: pragmatism, tradition, human imperfection, organic society, paternalism and libertarianism (specifically neo-liberalism). Six Edexcel thinkers from Hobbes to Rand. The 2024 ER warning: strands not thinkers; do NOT side-by-side; New Right is one AND two strands.

Which ideas does each strand hold? Tap a strand to see

The six Edexcel core ideas as bubbles. Tap each strand button to see which ideas it holds. Watch what happens when you tap Neo-Liberal - it is the OUTLIER.

👆 Tap a strand button above to see which of the 6 spec core ideas it holds. Watch Neo-Liberal - it is the outlier.

Traditional conservatism · 5 of 6 ideas

Holds: pragmatism, tradition, human imperfection, organic society, paternalism (authoritarian variant).

Rejects: libertarianism. Traditional conservatism is the opposite of free-market individualism.

Hobbes: Order must come first because humans are needy and easily led astray. The state exists to prevent the war of all against all.

Burke: Political change should be undertaken with great caution. Tradition is the accumulated wisdom of past generations.

One Nation conservatism · 5 of 6 ideas

Holds the same 5 as Traditional: pragmatism (central, Oakeshott), tradition (modified for capitalism), human imperfection, organic society, paternalism (benign variant, not authoritarian).

Key shift: paternalism is benign not authoritarian. The state pulls the working class up to prevent revolution and preserve the union.

Disraeli (historical lead figure): "two nations" speech 1845. Public Health Acts 1875. One Nation as response to industrial capitalism.

Oakeshott: pragmatism + human imperfection. Politics is "the conversation of mankind" - no fixed destination.

Contemporary: Cameron-era "compassionate conservatism"; Hunt 2024 leadership campaign sat here.

New Right (Neo-Liberal) · ONLY 1 of 6 ideas

Holds: libertarianism (only). Maximise freedom, especially in the economy. Minimal state.

Rejects: pragmatism (it is ideological), tradition (forward-looking), human imperfection (humans are rational individuals who maximise their own interests), organic society (atomistic individualism), paternalism (minimal state).

Rand: objectivism + freedom. Rational self-interest is the moral virtue.

Nozick: libertarianism + self-ownership. Individuals own their bodies, talents and labour.

2024 ER WARNING: Do NOT assign imperfection / organicism / pragmatism to the Neo-Liberal wing. It rejects them. This is the single most common student mistake.

New Right (Neo-Conservative) · 4 of 6 ideas

Holds: tradition, human imperfection, organic society, paternalism (moral / law-and-order variant).

Rejects: pragmatism (it is ideological about preserving order), libertarianism (wants strong state on morality and crime).

This is why the 2024 ER says New Right is "one AND two strands": Neo-Con shares 4 ideas with Traditional but 0 with Neo-Liberal. The only thing Neo-Lib and Neo-Con share is their rejection of post-1960s social liberalism - which is not on the spec core-ideas list.

Contemporary: Reform UK 2024-25 sits closer to Neo-Con than Neo-Liberal. Suella Braverman / Robert Jenrick split with Neo-Lib economics but hold Neo-Con moral and law-and-order positions.

Spec sub-sections (Paper 1, P1.5 (C.1 / C.2 / C.3))

P1.5.C.1.a pragmatism - flexible approach to society with decisions made on the basis of what works - to cover links between pragmatism and traditional conservative and one-nation philosophy.
P1.5.C.1.b tradition - accumulated wisdom of past societies and a connection between the generations - to cover how this creates stability, links with organic change, and enhances humans' security.
P1.5.C.1.c human imperfection - humans are flawed which makes them incapable of making good decisions for themselves - to cover the three aspects of psychological, moral and intellectual imperfection.
P1.5.C.1.d organic society/state - society/state is more important than any individual parts - to cover how this links to authority, hierarchy, and a cohesive society.
P1.5.C.1.e paternalism - benign power exerted from above by the state - to cover different interpretations by traditional and one-nation conservatives.
P1.5.C.1.f libertarianism (specifically neo-liberalism) - upholds liberty, seeking to maximise autonomy and free choice, mainly in the economy.
P1.5.C.2.a traditional conservative - commitment to hierarchical and paternalistic values.
P1.5.C.2.b one-nation conservative - updating of traditional conservatism in response to the emergence of capitalism.
P1.5.C.2.c New Right (Neo-liberal): principally concerned with free-market economics and atomistic individualism.
P1.5.C.2.d New Right (Neo-conservative): principally concerned with the fear of social fragmentation, tough on law and order and public morality.

The three most-asked exam questions on this topic

Question type 1

To what extent do conservatives agree on the role of the state?

2024 Q3, 2021. The most-set conservative ideology question type.

Question type 2

To what extent do conservatives agree on human nature?

2019 Q3, 2022 Q3. The human-imperfection-anchored question.

Question type 3

To what extent is the New Right a single strand of conservatism?

2023M Q3. The Neo-Lib + Neo-Con coherence question.

The default line of argument

LoA: Conservatives disagree more than they agree on the role of the state. Traditional and One Nation conservatives are paternalistic; the New Right Neo-liberal wing wants a minimal state; the Neo-conservative wing wants an authoritarian state on law and order and public morality. The shared commitment to human imperfection is real but masks deep disagreement on what the state should do about it.

How to use it: Pick this LoA for the role-of-the-state question. The human-nature question takes a sharper "all agree on imperfection but split on what follows" line. The New Right coherence question takes "two ideas fused, not one strand" line.

The 7 things you need to be able to name in your sleep

Six Edexcel thinkers — Hobbes (order + human nature); Burke (change + tradition); Oakeshott (pragmatism + imperfection); Rand (objectivism + freedom); Nozick (libertarianism + self-ownership); plus the implicit one-nation reference (Disraeli, who is NOT one of the six but is the historical lead figure).
Three strands — Traditional (Hobbes/Burke - hierarchy, paternalism, organic state); One Nation (Disraeli legacy, updated by Oakeshott - capitalism-accommodating paternalism); New Right (Neo-Lib: Rand/Nozick - minimal state; Neo-Con: not on the named list but the Thatcher/Reagan synthesis).
Six core ideas (spec list) — pragmatism, tradition, human imperfection, organic society, paternalism, libertarianism (neo-liberalism specifically).
The 2024 ER warning - 'strands not thinkers' — do not write 'Burke believes... Oakeshott believes...'; write 'Traditional conservatism (Burke) believes... One Nation (Oakeshott) believes...'. The strand is the unit of analysis.
The 2024 ER warning - 'no side-by-side' — do not run paragraphs comparing strand A then strand B side by side. Build agreement and disagreement WITHIN each paragraph on a theme.
The 2024 ER warning - 'New Right is one AND two strands' — Neo-Lib + Neo-Con are EITHER one strand (the New Right synthesis) OR two strands (Neo-Lib alone, Neo-Con alone). Both framings score; choose deliberately.
Do not assign imperfection / organicism / pragmatism to New Right — the 2024 ER explicitly flags this as a common mistake. New Right is a DEPARTURE from those traditional ideas (especially on the role of the individual).

Mini-checklist - tick each as you cover it

I can name the six Edexcel thinkers with date and one key idea each. I can name the three strands and which thinker(s) sit in each. I can name the six core ideas (pragmatism, tradition, human imperfection, organic society, paternalism, libertarianism/neo-liberalism). I can recite the three 2024 ER warnings (strands-not-thinkers, no side-by-side, New Right ambiguity). I can explain the Neo-Lib + Neo-Con tension in one sentence. I can give two examples of paternalism in practice (Disraeli's Public Health Acts; One Nation Cameron-era programmes). I can state my default line of argument in one sentence. I know which question type my LoA fits.

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The full conservatism strand-comparison drill with the Venn diagram is next.

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