What Is National Conservatism?
National conservatism is a variant of conservatism that prioritises the defense of national and cultural identity, often based on a theory of the family as a model for the state. Part of the Conservative family.
Definition
National conservatism is a variant of conservatism that prioritises the defense of national and cultural identity, often based on a theory of the family as a model for the state.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: National conservatism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- National sovereignty over international institutions.
- Restrictive immigration.
- Traditional social values and protectionist economics.
Origins
Revived as a self-described movement in the late 2010s.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Yoram Hazony
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where National Conservatism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 66 | toward market | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 82 | toward traditional | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 36 | near the center | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 91 | strongly toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 26 | toward non-intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 76 | toward private ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 42 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 91 | strongly toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 88 | strongly toward traditionalist |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 31 | toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 73 | toward hierarchical |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 49 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 26 | toward non-intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 69 | toward religious authority |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Traditional values should guide what society considers right and wrong. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Class distinctions should gradually disappear. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| During a pandemic, governments should be able to order people to stay at home except for essential reasons. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Agrarian Conservatism, National Conservatism sits 13 points further toward intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Paleoconservatism, National Conservatism sits 15 points further toward intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Conservative Populism, National Conservatism sits 10 points further toward traditional on the social dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with National Conservatism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: National conservatism
- Wikipedia: National Conservatism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Conservatism
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Nationalism
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.