Liberalism vs Conservatism: Key Differences Explained
How Liberalism and Traditional Conservatism differ, using sourced definitions and each model’s estimated position on the Atlas’s nine political dimensions.
Definitions
Liberalism
Liberalism is a political doctrine that treats protecting and enhancing individual freedom as the central problem of politics. Liberals typically see government as necessary to protect people from harm by others, while recognizing that government itself can threaten liberty.
Source: Britannica: Liberalism
Traditional Conservatism
Conservatism is a political doctrine that emphasizes the value of traditional institutions and practices. Conservatives favor gradual change under conditions of continuity and stability, and hold that government should serve existing ways of life rather than remake them.
Source: Britannica: Conservatism
Side by side on the Atlas maps
| Dimension | Liberalism | Traditional Conservatism | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 71 | 66 | 5 |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 30 | 79 | 49 (Traditional Conservatism more traditional) |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 23 | 41 | 17 (Traditional Conservatism more authoritarian) |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 37 | 77 | 40 (Traditional Conservatism more nationalist) |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 44 | 35 | 9 (Liberalism more intervention) |
Liberalism is shown as the average of the 13 socialist-family ideologies on the Atlas (including communism itself), because the Atlas has no single “socialism” model.
Map scores are estimates on the Atlas’s scale and can be debated. Read the full pages for Liberalism and Traditional Conservatism.