Liberal conservatism

Liberal conservatism is a variant of conservatism that combines the classical conservative concern for established tradition, respect for authority and, sometimes, religious values with liberal ideas, especially on economic issues (see economic liberalism, which advocates free market capitalism).

Liberal conservatism usually takes hold among conservatives in countries where liberal economic ideas are considered traditional, and therefore conservative.

In countries with large liberal conservative movements that have entered the political mainstream, the terms "liberal" and "conservative" may become synonymous (as in Australia and in Italy), or they may be redefined such that liberal conservatives keep one of them and the other is taken up by a different group (as in the United States, where liberal conservatives use the term "conservative", and "liberal" is generally used to refer to American liberalism, a social liberal movement).

The liberal conservative tradition in the United States combines the economic individualism of the classical liberals with a Burkean form of conservatism (which has also become part of the American conservative tradition, for example in the writings of Russell Kirk).

Liberal conservative political parties exist in a number of countries, and they are usually most entrenched in Anglo-Saxon cultures.