"The Conservative Tradition" Professor Patrick N. Allitt (DVD)
(36 Lectures / 30 Minutes Per Lecture / 6x DVD - The Great Courses)
This course traces the history of Western conservative thought, beginning with its origins as a principled reaction to the French Revolution. The course centers on the foundational ideas of Edmund Burke, who championed the value of established institutions, tradition, and incremental change over radical, abstract social engineering. Through 36 lectures, Allitt traces the evolution of these principles as they adapted to the challenges of the industrial age, the rise of socialism, and the shifting social norms of the 19th and 20th centuries, highlighting the recurring conservative emphasis on human fallibility and the necessity of social order.The second half of the course examines the internal diversity and modern expansion of the movement, distinguishing between its various branches such as fiscal, social, and neoconservatism.
 
Allitt explores how the tradition moved from a defense of aristocratic hierarchies to a modern ideology often centered on free-market capitalism, individual liberty, and national identity. By profiling influential figures—from Adam Smith and Benjamin Disraeli to Russell Kirk and Ronald Reagan—the course illustrates that conservatism is not a static set of beliefs but a living, "adaptive" tradition that seeks to preserve what is best from the past while navigating the inevitable pressures of modern progress.