The Splendours and Miseries of Conservatives

Whether it’s Konrad Adenauer in the early years of West Germany or Robert Schuman in France: conservatives and Christian democrats often prove to be successful agents of renewal. We only need to look at the process of European unification, the integration of West Germany into the agreements and accords of the Western powers, or the establishment of the social market economy. But when it comes to renewing itself, conservatism is faced with a problem: all the way back to Edmund Burke, its essence has consisted in preserving, not creating something new.

Today, centre-right parties seem to be torn between entering into alliances with reactionary forces and committing themselves clearly to a liberal, open society.

Given the global rise of authoritarian movements, Roger de Weck makes an appeal for a political redefining of the conservative self-image: »wokeness« is the wrong bogeyman. Rather than waging a culture war with the left, conservatives should be working to strengthen European sovereignty. In times of disruption, conservativism can embody the promise of stability – that is, of course, if it can resist its reflex to drift to the right.