3.7 Contemporary Ideologies Further to the Political Right

New Right Ideology and Movements

The New Right emerged in the late 20th century as a distinct strand of conservatism that fused free-market economics with traditional social values. Understanding it is essential because it reshaped conservative parties across the globe and continues to define many of the policy debates you'll encounter in political science.

Core Principles of New Right Ideology

The New Right isn't a single movement but a broad ideological tendency built on several shared commitments:

• Free-market capitalism: The economy works best with minimal government intervention. This means favoring deregulation, privatization, and a laissez-faire approach where markets, not bureaucrats, allocate resources.
• Traditional social values: Institutions like the nuclear family, organized religion, and established cultural norms provide social stability and should be preserved.
• Skepticism of the welfare state: Government assistance programs can create dependency. The New Right favors individual responsibility and self-reliance over expansive social safety nets.
• Limited government: Regulation stifles economic growth and restricts individual freedom. Government should do less, not more.
• Nationalism: National identity and sovereignty matter. New Right thinkers tend to be wary of supranational institutions and large-scale immigration that they see as diluting national culture.

What ties these together is a belief that both economic freedom and social order are necessary for a healthy society. That combination is what distinguishes the New Right from older forms of conservatism, which were often less committed to free markets, and from libertarianism, which is less concerned with traditional social values.

Comparison of New Right Movements

Three major movements illustrate how New Right principles played out differently depending on national context.

Neoconservatism (United States)

Neoconservatism originated in the 1960s and 1970s among intellectuals who had grown disillusioned with the American left. Its defining features include:

• A strong national defense and an interventionist foreign policy aimed at promoting democracy abroad and countering authoritarian regimes (initially the Soviet Union, later applied to the Middle East)
• Support for free-market economics, though neoconservatives are more willing than other New Right factions to accept a limited welfare state
• A focus on using American power actively in the world, which sets neoconservatism apart from more isolationist strands of conservatism

Thatcherism (United Kingdom)

Named after Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (in office 1979–1990), Thatcherism was the New Right's most influential expression in British politics:

• Privatization of state-owned industries like British Telecom and British Gas, transferring them from government to private ownership
• A deliberate effort to reduce trade union power, most dramatically during the 1984–85 miners' strike
• Emphasis on individualism and self-reliance, captured in Thatcher's argument that people should look to themselves and their families rather than to the state

Reaganism (United States)

Named after President Ronald Reagan (in office 1981–1989), Reaganism applied New Right ideas to American economic and foreign policy:

• Supply-side economics: The idea that cutting taxes, especially on businesses and higher earners, would stimulate investment and economic growth. The Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 cut income tax rates significantly.
• A strong anti-communist foreign policy, formalized in the Reagan Doctrine, which supported anti-communist movements worldwide
• Rhetorical commitment to reducing government spending and shrinking the federal bureaucracy, though in practice federal deficits grew substantially under Reagan

New Right Influence on Conservative Politics

New Right ideas didn't stay in think tanks. They became the operating framework for major conservative parties:

• The Republican Party (US) made tax cuts, deregulation, and limited government central to its platform from the 1980s onward.
• The Conservative Party (UK) continued Thatcher's privatization and deregulation agenda well after she left office.
• The Liberal Party (Australia) adopted New Right economic principles, including the controversial Work Choices labor law reforms in 2005.

Beyond specific parties, New Right thinking shaped policy in broader ways. Neoconservative foreign policy ideas influenced the decision to invade Iraq in 2003. Thatcherite privatization became a model adopted in countries like Germany and France. Reagan-era tax policy inspired proposals like flat taxes in various countries.

On social issues, New Right principles reinforced conservative positions on traditional marriage, religious freedom, and opposition to expansive social programs. These positions remain central to conservative platforms in many democracies.

Additional Right-Wing Ideologies

The New Right doesn't cover the full spectrum of right-wing thought. Several other ideologies sit further right or occupy distinct positions:

• Populism: Frames politics as a conflict between "ordinary people" and a corrupt or out-of-touch "elite." Populism isn't strictly left or right, but right-wing populism has become a major force in recent decades, often combining economic nationalism with anti-immigration sentiment.
• Libertarianism: Pushes individual liberty and minimal government further than the New Right. Libertarians typically oppose government intervention in both the economy and personal life, which puts them at odds with social conservatives.
• Social conservatism: Focuses specifically on preserving traditional moral values and institutions (marriage, religion, family structure). Social conservatives may or may not share the New Right's enthusiasm for free markets.
• Traditionalism: Emphasizes continuity with long-standing cultural practices and institutions. Where the New Right often embraces market-driven change, traditionalists can be skeptical of capitalism's disruptive effects on communities.
• Paleoconservatism: Stresses traditional values and limited government like the New Right, but strongly opposes interventionist foreign policy. Paleoconservatives criticized neoconservatives for supporting the Iraq War.
• Alt-right: A loosely organized far-right movement that emerged in the 2010s. It embraces white nationalism and explicitly rejects both mainstream conservatism and liberal democracy. The alt-right is considered outside the boundaries of conventional right-wing politics by most scholars.