-Isms

Joshua Gardner 5/17/08 (18)
Conservatism Once upon a time the word meant conserving the old order (of government control). Now it means conservative moral values (and using government to promote them) and limited government restriction of business.
Conservative Parties: Federalists (some), Whigs, Republicans.

Liberalism It used to mean reducing government, period. (This is now known as classic liberalism) Now it means lax moral values and even using government to promote the immorality. Since the days of FDR and the New Deal liberalism has also stood for welfare statism and even socialism.
Liberal Parties: Federalists (some), Anti-Federalists, Democrats, Constitutionalists, Libertarians

Fascism Once a word that everybody uses. You can see fasces decorating Washington DC and other places quite a bit. Original idea is Roman in character. It signifies unity and in particular a forced union (like an empire). Fascism got a bad name when the National Socialists (Nazis) and Mussolini used it to describe their governments. Modern fascism includes government control of business, aggressive militarism, extreme conservatism, nationalism, and racism.
Fasicist Parties: Some Republicans, Some Democrats

Socialism Socialism is marked by complete government control of production and distribution of wealth. Socialists claim to seek quasi-anarchist utopias but in truth will bring Fascism. Rather idyllic. (Mind this is the Marxist definition of Socialism. The Lenninist definition is more like Communism.)
Socialist Parties: Some Republicans, More Democrats

Communism A relatively new *ism. The oldest are Conservatism and Classic Liberalism of some strain or another. Communism seeks to create a Conservative (Fascist) government by preying on the Liberalism of the people. It promises freedom (mostly freedom from percieved oppressors like employers, or freedom from a lack of money) through a massive government. It's something of a hybrid.
Communist Parties: Democrats, Communists, Socialists

The above are international *isms that the definitions apply more or less wherever you go. Below are America-only definitions.

Constitutionalism A strain of Classical Liberalism that seeks to reduce the American government to the scope that is outlined in the Constitution.

Libertarianism The modern embodiment of Classical Liberalism. While many Libertarians may be Constitutionalists, some advocate a looser confederation like the Articles of Confederation. Others would like to see complete privitization of everything, including private police and courts. Libertarianism varies quite a bit and the Libertarian Party is actually rather amoral (like the Democrats).

Compassionate Conservatism Compassionate Conservatism seeks to merge Conservatives morals with Liberal "compassion" for the poor and needy, i.e. Welfare Statism or Socialism. It's a centrist view designed to grab votes and when the view is exercised you get Fascism.

Neo-conservatism Word means New Conservatism. An attempted remix of Conservatism. It's something like a more potent version of Compassionate Conservatism but has globalism mixed in. Very popular currently.

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