Comparative Analysis of Modern Political Conservatism in Russia and the USA

Conservatism and its value categories can be viewed as a metanarrative, but it is necessary to understand that conservatism serves not only a theoretical narrative function, but also an applied function expressed in certain social practices. The separation of modern conservatism in all its variants from traditionalism became the foundation for the emergence and development of the conservative system. Modern conservatism is not static, it is not aimed at reproducing some revered primordial symbols and patterns of life and social structure, although it can turn to some successful practices from the past. Within the context of conservatism we are talking about development, and the understanding of development in conservatism is different from the liberal or socialist view. Due to this folk or national specificity of conservatism, it is appropriate to talk about completely different conservative systems of different states. Thus, the work examines the classical model, Russian and American national models and modern national conservatism. The relevance of the research topic is determined by a combination of reasons, which caused the recent metamorphoses of conservatism in both countries. In reality, we are witnessing a fundamental transformation of the political landscape — for example, the existence of liberal conservatism or left-wing conservatism. In addition to the notorious identity crisis, significant economic (socio-economic) reasons are associated with the emergence of an "ultra-modern" type of capitalism, which many call global and financialized. The question of the interrelationship between the locality of nation states and the globality of investors, trading companies and organizations is a fairly common topic in modern political science works, and resistance to globalism is a significant topic for both Russian and American conservatives. The cross-national comparative case study strategy involves in-depth examination and comparison of political conservatism in Russia and the USA as distinct cases. This study combines elements of quantitative and qualitative research (mixed methods). The research is structured as an embedded design. The author analyzes both types of data simultaneously, but within the framework of a larger qualitative design (the quantitative type of data is secondary to the qualitative). The complex analysis carried out is a good help for further research. We can affirm the unity of modern world conservatism in the context of a new global wave of conservatism as a stabilizing core in the conditions of “liquid modernity” and the terrible “insecurity resulting from the policies of supranational and increasingly extraterritorial The basis of Russian conservatism is a fairly homogeneous Russian identity, formed over centuries on the basis of the Orthodox worldview. The essence of conservatism is to reveal and preserve the authenticity of the bearer — the people or nation. Russian conservatism is a self-sufficient national model, and the difficulties and challenges it faces are a temporary phenomenon and simply a certain stage of development, the experience of which it will comprehend and enrich the Russian conservative tradition. American conservatism shows us the latest phenomenon of national conservatism, designed to fight against the hegemony of neoliberalism. National conservatism is a growing ideological movement, a synthesis of nationalism and cultural conservatism. The nation-state as a political form is under pressure these days both from above — international and transnational organizations, laws, and ideological/religious movements, and from below — from racial, ethnic, sexual, and tribal-cultural factions asserting claims against national citizenship. In other words, locality has shaped the response to globality.