Conservationism from the French Revolution to the 1990s / Pekka Suvanto ; translated by Roderick Fletcher.

A condensed version of the original edition published in Helsinki in 1994.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. The Study of Conservatism -- 2. Tradition as the Foundation of Conservatism. 'Conservatism' before the French Revolution -- 3. Conservatism from the French Revolution to the 1860s. Edmund Burke's Britain. British Conservatism from the French Revolution to the 1850s. The Origins of Conservatism in the Promised Land: the United States. Germany in the Period of Metternich's System. Restoration in the Home of the Revolution -- 4. From the Rise of Nationalism to the Chaos of the First World War. The General Nature of the Crisis. Britain's Imperialist Conservatism. The United States: Conservatism in the Business and Academic Worlds. The Era of Bismarck and William II. The Conservatives in the French Third Republic -- 5. The Trials of Conservatism: 1918-45 -- 6. Neo-Conservatism in the Shadow of Neo-Liberalism. The Death of Ideologies: a Premature Obituary. The USA as a Trendsetter of Conservatism. From Churchill to Thatcherism.

Lost and Transformed Conservatism: Germany Seeks Refuge in the Economy. National Values and Charismatic Leadership -- 7. Conservatism: a Stocktaking.

The author portrays conservatism as a phenomenon of political and ideological development from the French Revolution up to the present. The countries used for comparative purposes are mainly Britain, the United States, Germany and France. Conservatism is not a homogeneous movement: in each country it has its own particular character. But a common feature is a conservative way of thinking based on certain principles. Its roots go back to the thought of the Ancient World and Christianity.