The Conservative Tradition

by Patrick N. Allitt

A thorough understanding of Conservatism's lineage, principles, and impact on history is essential to making sense of the 21st-century political dialogue-a dialogue that consumes the television you watch, the newspapers you read, and the radio you listen to.

No matter where you place yourself on the ideological spectrum, these 36 lectures will intrigue you, engage you, and maybe even provoke you to think about this political philosophy in an entirely new way.

In crafting his exploration of just why this has happened, Professor Allitt has specifically designed his lectures to be objective, neutral, and intellectually satisfying for every viewer and listener - whatever their ideological outlook. Using an easygoing and engaging style, these lectures show you how Anglo-American Conservatism developed and evolved in both Great Britain and the United States; how traditional Conservatism produced evolutionary variants like Neoconservatism and Libertarianism; and the provocative ways in which Conservatism has interacted with differing political philosophies. Following the fascinating history of Conservatism, you'll also meet the widest possible range of thinkers and practitioners behind the Conservative tradition, including John Stuart Mill, Ayn Rand, Francis Schaeffer, Adam Smith, Henry Adams, Alexander Hamilton, William Pitt the Younger, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, H.L. Mencken, William F. Buckley Jr., Ludwig von Mises, and Friedrich von Hayek.Whether you consider yourself a Liberal or a Conservative-or something in between-these lectures can make you a more effective and informed citizen, armed with a sharpened understanding of the ways in which this philosophy has influenced events around the world.

Genres: History, Politics, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Audiobook, American History, Economics

19 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[William Trently · Rating 4 out of 5]

Political conservatism is an attitude that prefers keeping things the way they are. It acknowledges that some change is inevitable and desirable, but favors slow, cautious change in order to avoid deleterious unforeseen side effects that may threaten political stability, of which the U.S. and Great Britain have enjoyed for a long time. The course is a study of conservatism in these two nations from 1688 to 2000, both countries operating within a "broadly conservative environment." Professor Allitt says, "I will give the conservatives a chance to explain their ideas, and I will give their critics a chance to explain their response, while also devoting plenty of time to the history of debates and disputes among conservatives themselves." He does a wonderful job accomplishing this. Conservative heroes and their writings make guest appearances, including Bolingbroke, Edmund Burke, Ayn Rand, William F. Buckley, Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, and so on. Conservatism has usually been reactive and so it changes, given different circumstances. For example, if an overly strong government is a threat to the status quo, conservatives favor decentralization; but if government is perceived as too weak, conservatives favor stronger government. At various times conservatives have opposed industrialization, free market economics, democracy, giving women the right to vote, and freeing the slaves. It is important to put these decisions in context. A nice example is Lecture 7 which gets inside the thinking of slaveholders. A fascinating, unbiased, and informative course!

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conservatism is the cure for the cancer which is progressivism. I specifically omitted liberalism as the antithesis of conservatism, because over the last 15 years it has become readily apparent that those we used to call liberals are anything but. Leftist, statist... progressives: whatever appellation you fancy the fact is that those who sit across the aisle from me are in fact regressive and with a deep totalitarian streak.

This great course is a wonderful introduction to the life of a mode of thought that informs my view of the world. In this Trump era when there is obfuscation of what it means to be a conservative rather than just someone on the right, a course of this kind is important.

[Cheryl Petersen]

Collegiate lectures, complete with audience applause, but not taking from its caliber of intrigue and extensive knowledge. The Conservative Tradition re-looks at British and American politics and religious doings. Author Patrick Allitt pulls together the past and present, allowing for a semblance of calm amid what looks like unprecedented history today. It's not. Human history is fraught yet an underlying law of ever-revealing ideas continues to come into play.

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

I picked up this audiobook (or, rather, put on my headphones) because I was interested in learning more about the conservative philosophy. Had I known that this series of lectures have more of a factual, historical focus, I would have reconsidered. Nevertheless, I do not regret my decision to listen to Patrick N. Allitt’s ‘The Conservative Tradition’.

I would definitely describe myself as more sympathetic towards conservative politics having listened to (most of) this audiobook. My understanding of rightwing ideologies beforehand was very one-dimensional, and Allitt’s recount of conservatism is — in my opinion — coherent, objective, and enlightening.

My rating of two stars is namely because this audiobook could not hold my attention. Whilst Allitt’s narration is clear and understandable, it is also somewhat wooden, and many a time did I find my mind wandering with no motivation to rewind. As I have also mentioned above, I was under the impression that the audiobook would focus on the ideologies of conservatism rather than the history, and although I made it 3/4 of the way through, I could not bring myself to finish it. Despite this, ‘The Conservative Tradition’ achieved its goal of helping me better understand the right end of the political spectrum, and for this reason, I would not turn interested readers away from this audiobook.

[Brett Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent survey of conservative thought from Burke to Bush. Professor Allitt presents an unbiased history of conservative thought, making clear the idea of conservatism is to conserve society. This does not necessarily mean to stop inevitable change, though for some radicals, it can, but rather reform, not revolution. Like species that face extinction in the face of change too rapid to evolve with, conservatives fear social change too fast to accommodate without the attendant psychological whiplash and instabilities delivered to civilization that radiate from such emotional creatures as humans. Well-presented is the evolution of conservative thought, beginning with the radical notions of democracy and capitalism, which conservatives opposed only to become pillars of conservative thought. There have been countless splits among conservatives, like those in the American North who sought to conserve the Union vs. those of the South who sought to conserve “a way of life” (more accurately known as slavery), to factions like paleoconservatives who seek to preserve tradition, avoid foreign entanglements, and put power in the states vs. the later neoconservatives who wanted a central power that could nation-build in Iraq. Fusionists like William Buckley sought to join religious traditionalist communitarian conservatives with agnostic individualist libertarians. Those who were devoted liberals and switched to conservative or vice versa are examined, and the arguments they offered for why. As onetime liberal Irving Crystal said of his conversion, “A neoconservative is a liberal who got mugged by reality.” A good 36-part series on the topic.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great and fair series of lectures on the history of conservative thought in Britain and America, starting around the time of the Glorious Revolution up until the early 2000s. I'd recommend this series to liberal and conservatives (and everyone else) with an interest in political philosophy. "Conservatism" has meant vastly different things at different times and different things to different people at the same time. I found the lecture I know most about, libertarianism, to be a bit lacking, but still pretty strong. I learned much in this course.

[Jop De · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timely and interesting overview of conservative thinking, mainly in the UK and US, over the last centuries. Following a progressive wind of decades, conservatives, the far right in particular, is gaining support, with ideas on race, culture and economics conservatives were thought to have left behind because they were no longer valid and acceptable. This lecture series explains what these ideas come from and what's the reasoning behind it. Therefore this book is an absolute recommendation.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great survey of Anglo-American conservative politics and policy from the Glorious Revolution to 2000. Not particularly deep in parts but the lectures are only 30 minutes. These 36 lectures will give you a great sense of the history of the conservative approach and the tensions and changes in over the centuries.

[Xin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice course on Anglo-Saxon conservative tradition. It alternates between histories of Britain & US. Don't worry. There was only one almost unnoticeable mention of Ann Coulter in the last chapter.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent course and would be tremendously helpful to anyone. I'm so glad there are courses like this and would recommend this course to the thinkers of the world, and to those who care deeply about preserving American exceptionalism and western leadership.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good description of Conservatism in the first session. The rest was a good history of conservatism through time.

[Liam Owen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid outline of conservatism since the glorious revolution

[Alvaro R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got the feeling this was a great introduction and overview to the history of conservatism.

[Booksandcats · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but biased

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

CD course. This was a Great Course for helping understand the history of political conservatism.

[Scott Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Great Courses series. This book is no exception. Can be dry at time but a lot of great information that really makes you look at your own political and world views.

[victoria_tonks · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

[Tecolotl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful in understanding not only what it means to be a Conservative, but what we are trying to CONSERVE.

[BGS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very comprehensive course on the history of conservatism.

[Aaron Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lectures:
1. What Is Conservatism?
2. The Glorious Revolution and Its Heritage
3. Burke, Tradition, and the French Revolution
4. Pitt and the Wars of the French Revolution
5. The American Revolution
6. The Federalists
7. Conservatives in the American South
8. Northern Antebellum Conservatism
9. Opposing the Great Reform Act
10. Robert Peel and the Conservative Revival
11. Smith, Ricardo, Malthus, Mill
12. Conservatism and the American Civil War
13. Industrialists, Mugwumps, Traditionalists
14. Disraeli and Tory Imperialism
15. The Rise of Labour and the House of Lords
16. The Idea of Anglo-Saxon Supremacy
17. No Vote for Women
18. American Conservatives after World War I
19. Opposing the New Deal
20. The Tory Party from Bonar Law to Churchill
21. The Reaction to Labour and Nationalization
22. American Anticommunism and McCarthyism
23. American Traditionalists
24. Libertarianism
25. National Review and Barry Goldwater
26. Upheavals of the 1960s
27. The Neoconservatives
28. The Neoconservatives and Foreign Policy
29. Christian Conservatives and the New Right
30. Margaret Thatcher's Counterrevolution
31. Monarchs and Prime Ministers
32. Reagan Triumphant
33. The End of the Cold War
34. Paleoconservatives and Theoconservatives
35. Culture Wars
36. Unresolved Paradoxes

[Bob Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of the history of Conservatism in England and the US over the last three hundred years, It was interesting to see how conservatism and liberalism have changed over years, while keeping their focus on their respective basic principles. The professor keeps his own opinion out of the historical account. Recommend.

[Chad Kohalyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I once had a history professor who when giving a lecture would simply stand in front of the class, head down, and read his notes. Patrick's Allitt's delivery was about as wooden. Furthermore, he lectured as if the audience could only hold 15 minutes of information in their head, often repeating parts of the same lecture. A sharp editor and a different narrator, and this could've been quite a good audiobook.

Although this series was not what I was expecting it to be (an analysis of conservative thought) it was still quite informative, giving an historical tour of conservatism, focusing on England and the USA. The more modern era, especially the Cold War and the rise of neoconservatism from its Democratic roots, was especially interesting. Allitt's categorization of the conservatisms of modern America provide a useful framework for thinking about the confusion of Republican politics. I think he overlooked the power of technology in splintering conservatism since the 1990s, but he cut off his analysis at the year 2000, so fair enough.

Entertaining and informative, if overly repetitive and a bit shallow, this is still an easy listen on your journey to understanding the conservative mind.

[Skylar Burris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Teaching Company lecture series was a good overview of the core philosophy that distinguishes the conservative tradition and of how "conservatism" has, practically speaking, meant different things at different times and places in history. Engagingly presented.

[Amy Gideon · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far my favorite lecturer. I thought with this particular lecture he did a good job presenting the history of conservative thought and tradition without making judgments for or against it.

[Abdulaziz Fagih · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great history and ideological philosophy of conservative in the UK and the USA

[Jerome · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical review and comparison of American and English conservative traditions.

[Cory Huff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very smart, concise overview of the history of conservative thought from the Magna Charta to early 2000s, this lecture series should be mandatory reading for every single politically minded person.