American conservatism is a broad system of political beliefs in the United States characterized by respect for American traditions, republicanism, support for Judeo-Christian values, moral absolutism, free markets and free trade, anti-communism, individualism, advocacy of American exceptionalism, and a defense of Western culture from the threats, whether real or perceived, posed by socialism, authoritarianism, and moral relativism. The recent movement is based in the Republican Party, though some Democrats were also important figures early in the movement's history.