Compassionate conservatism
American political philosophy
Compassionate conservatism is an American political philosophy that stresses using conservative techniques and concepts in order to improve the general welfare of society. The philosophy supports the implementation of policies designed to help the disadvantaged and alleviate poverty through the free market, envisaging a triangular relationship between government, charities and faith-based organizations. The term entered mainstream parlance between 2001 and 2009, during the administration of US President George W. Bush. He used the term often to describe his personal views and embody some parts of his administration's agenda and policy approach.
The term itself is often credited to the American historian and politician Doug Wead, who used it as the title of a speech in 1979. Although its origins lie mostly in accepted economic principles, some applications of it have been criticized as paternalism. The term has been used in the United Kingdom by former Prime Minister David Cameron, in New Zealand by former Prime Minister John Key, and in Lithuania by President Gitanas Nausėda.
The term "compassionate conservatism" has also been applied to Christian democratic political parties. However, Christian democrats are far more supportive of government interventionism in the economy. Later Compassionate conservatism was seen as Third Way ideology and was compared to Clintonism.
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