The changing global dynamics have had consequences on almost all political ideologies, where some of them faced existential threats. Of all the political ideologies shattered in these circumstances, the death of conservatism is the most prominent one.
For centuries, masses across the globe in general, and in the United States in particular, have struggled to maintain the traditionality that is part and parcel of the conservative movement.
However, the rise of liberal faction in American politics seems detrimental to conservatism, where people are now moving towards the modern ways of living.
The ideology, watered by the likes of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, William F. Buckley Jr., and Whittaker Chambers, is no longer a threat to the developing ideologies.
The decline of the Republican party, which espoused conservatism in recent years, also depicts that the ideology is being faced with slow death.
This slow death of conservatism can be attributed to various factors, including its failure to adopt to modernity.
In reality, Donald Trump himself dug the grave of conservatism, as experts believe that his policies started an anti-conservative movement in American society.
How did the slow death of conservatism happen? Let’s see.
Adaption to Modernity: A Death to Conservatism in the United States
With the emergence of the American younger generations, the supporters of conservatism are declining with every passing day.
The newer generation is more inclined towards liberal politics, owing to the technologies and circumstances they are exposed to.
The preservation of traditional values seems to be an old-age phenomenon now, as modernity has diluted the boundaries amid the rising wave of cultural globalization.
Gone are the days when people used to be ethnocentric by defending the values adopted by their forefathers.
The recent Gallup surveys also suggest the same, as more people were conservatives in the initial months of the year 2020 compared to the later part of the same year.
This came as a shock for many, as in the wake of the pandemic, the reversion to conservatism was expected the other way around.
The autocratic policies of the Trump administration did more damage to conservatism than any other thing.
The death of George Floyd turned the masses against the conservative government of Donald Trump, for which the people across the political spectrum censured him.
As a matter of fact, conservatism is mainly inclined towards preserving the traditional values of family, religion, and culture.
The separation of church and state from the United States Constitution itself sowed the seeds of the slow death of conservatism.
Not only this, but the social institution of family is also in decline due to the pervasive abundance of conjugal family.
The concept of consanguine families in the United States is over now. The changing dynamics of this all-important social institution decries that conservatism is no longer a feasible ideology in the United States.
Interestingly, this slow death of conservatism was a much-needed phenomenon for progressivism, or the US would cease to move forward in these times. The long-held beliefs of the masses are unable to solve the prevailing crisis as innovative solutions are the need of the hour these days.
Donald Trump: A Conservative Digging the Grave of Conservatism Himself
Despite getting elected by the conservative voters, Donald Trump did everything to make people hateful about this ideology.
As he assumed the White House as the 45th president of the United States, mostly he behaved as a hardline conservative, enabling people to rethink the direction in which America was going.
Seeing the voting patterns in the general elections, it is also a reality that Joe Biden won the presidency owing to the political leaning of the anti-Trump and not pro-Biden voters. All these anti-Trump voters were agitated due to the conservative policies of Donald Trump.
As conservatives are profoundly and defiantly reluctant to new ideas and foreign cultures owing to their xenophobic natures, Donald Trump isolated the US from the world, walking the same ideology.
Not only this, but the abundance of closed borders and anti-immigrant policies of Donald Trump was also the emblem of conservatives ideology.
Then comes his anti-abortion policies, which conservatives try to repel to its core. As a conservative figure, Donald Trump sponsored this notion as well, which was not perceived by the masses well.
As the 2020 elections neared, all these conservative policies heaped up and caused a significant blow for Donald Trump, which cost him his reelection.
The loss of Trump in the reelection was not only a Republican defeat, but a final nail in the slow death of conservatism as well.
During his last days as president, when conservatism was breathing its last, Donald Trump tried to further his favorable ideology by appointing Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court for a lifetime.
Although the ideology of conservatism is still dominant in the US Supreme Court, all the judges drifted away from this ideology to rule against Donald Trump in his last efforts to make a comeback in elections.
The Bright Side of Coronavirus: Pandemic Role in Catalyzing the Slow Death of Conservatism
The rise of the coronavirus pandemic also played a significant role in catalyzing the slow death of conservatism.
At times when the efforts to make the vaccine were underway, the overreliance of conservative leaders on religion made people think in a new way.
Whether the leader of a superpower, Donald Trump, or John Magufuli, president of an underdeveloped third world country, Tanzania, many leaders over-relied on religion to cure coronavirus, and their failure in this raised eyebrows on the overall ideology of conservatism.
Perhaps it is the bright side of coronavirus that in times when the masses were struggling to find modernity in their lives, the conservative leaders helped them hating the ideology that resulted in fueling the slow death of conservatism.
Final Thoughts
Nations perish when they fail to adapt to modernity by sticking to traditionality.
The death of conservatism will not only benefit progressive movements across the country but also open the minds of the masses resulting in the appreciation of the freedom of opinion.
The legacy set out by Ronald Reagan in promoting conservatism as inspired by the Irish statesman Edmund Burke and furthered by George W. Bush in modern times has been finished by Donald Trump.
While Barack Obama did try to revoke many conservative policies during his presidential tenure, the ultimate destruction of conservatism came from the hands of a conservative himself.
Perhaps a better approach from Donald Trump could have saved the conservative ideology in the United States, but he will be remembered as a man responsible for slaughtering the decades-old American conservatism in a matter of some years.
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.