September 27, 2004, [MD]
By way of The Longbow Papers, a very good article that explains why the US is so much more conservative than similar countries in Europe.
Extracts: “At the start of the 20th century, the U.S. looked progressive compared with Europe’s empires. The big difference between the U.S. and Europe is that the U.S. kept its 18th century Constitution, while most European countries discarded theirs.” … “By contrast, the U.S. has not lost a war on its home soil and thus has never faced the internal disruptions caused by such a collapse.” … “The nation’s racial heterogeneity also partly explains its conservatism. U.S. heterogeneity sharply contrasts with the much greater homogeneity in Canada, Britain and continental Europe. People are much less likely to support income redistribution to people who are members of different racial or ethnic groups.”
Stian
Stian Håklev September 27, 2004 Toronto, Canada comments powered by Disqus