Write a note on conservatism.

Conservatism is a political philosophy that stressed the importance of tradition, established institutions and customs. It also laid stress on gradual development as opposed to revolutionary change. Following are some of the salient points of conservatism:

1. Conservatives believe that traditional institutions like the church, social hierarchies, property and the family should be preserved against all forces of change.
2. Many conservatives even saw forces of modernism strengthening traditional institutions like monarchy.
3. Around 1815, the conservative regimes in Europe were largely autocratic. They did not tolerate democratic thought, political criticism or dissent. They often put restrictions on activities that questioned the legitimacy of autocracy and imposed censorship laws on newspapers, books, plays and songs that promoted ideas of liberty and freedom.