# The Liberals — The Conscience of a Conservative character guide

> The Liberals in The Conscience of a Conservative by Barry Goldwater.

**Role:** minor

**Also known as:** the Liberals, Liberals

**First appearance:** 0001-the-conscience-of-a-conservative

## Who they are

Political opponents advocating for expanded government and welfare programs.

## Relationships

### [Conservatives](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conscience_of_a_conservative_se/characters/conservatives)

_rivalry_

Conservatives are in direct ideological conflict with liberals over government power.

## In the story

### [The Conscience of a Conservative](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conscience_of_a_conservative_se/chapters/the-conscience-of-a-conservative)

The political opponents who advocate for expanded federal power and collectivist policies.

### [The Conscience of a Conservative](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conscience_of_a_conservative_se/chapters/i-the-conscience-of-a-conservative)

Liberals are portrayed as focusing on material well-being and using collective effort to compel progress, in contrast to conservatives.

### [III: States’ Rights](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conscience_of_a_conservative_se/chapters/iii-states-rights)

Implied as the ideological force behind the abandonment of States' Rights, particularly in the Democratic Party.

### [IV: And Civil Rights](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conscience_of_a_conservative_se/chapters/iv-and-civil-rights)

Implicitly criticized for misusing the term 'civil rights' and expanding federal power.

### [Freedom for Labor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conscience_of_a_conservative_se/chapters/vi-freedom-for-labor)

Implicitly criticized for opposing right-to-work laws despite professing concern for civil rights and civil liberties.

### [VII: Taxes and Spending](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conscience_of_a_conservative_se/chapters/vii-taxes-and-spending)

Blamed for removing moral principles from the discussion of taxation and leading the public to accept an unlimited government claim on wealth.

### [VIII: The Welfare State](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conscience_of_a_conservative_se/chapters/viii-the-welfare-state)

The Liberals are depicted as questioning conservatives' social conscience and promoting federal welfare programs.

### [IX: Some Notes on Education](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conscience_of_a_conservative_se/chapters/ix-some-notes-on-education)

Implied as proponents of federal aid and progressive education philosophy.

### [X: The Soviet Menace](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conscience_of_a_conservative_se/chapters/x-the-soviet-menace)

Implicitly criticized for supporting foreign aid and disarmament policies that weaken the U.S.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conscience_of_a_conservative_se/characters/the_liberals
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conscience_of_a_conservative_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_conscience_of_a_conservative_se/characters