Question

Compare and contrast the ideologies of conservatism, liberalism, and nationalism.

Answer 1

The most direct contrast is between conservatism and liberalism.  Let's start there.

In the 19th century, "conservative" and "liberal" were first coming into vogue as terms for political viewpoints. What "conservative" and "liberal" meant then was different from what those terms mean in politics today. 19th century conservatives wanted to conserve and preserve the historic traditions of government and society. For societies like France and elsewhere on the continent of Europe, that meant going back to monarchs in control of government, as things had been before the French Revolution. Liberals were those who favored liberty for individuals, with greater rights and freedoms. So the various answers that spoke of voting rights, elected parliaments, and democratic change -- those all were measures favored by liberals in the 19th century, not conservatives.

Nationalism was a 19th century movement that had the ability to attach itself to either conservative or liberal agendas.  In France, feelings of national unity rallied the people to the cause of the French Republic as a liberal form of government.  In Russia, on the other hand, nationalistic pride went hand-in-hand with staunchly conservative and autocratic forms of government.   In the German states, liberals were the ones who first pushed to form a united German nation.  However, it was a more conservative approach under Otto von Bismarck of Prussia that actually accomplished the unification of Germany.  So nationalism can be associated with either liberal or conservative causes -- or both.

Answer 2

Conservatism is belief in the rights of the individual and STRICT interpretation of the constitution.  

Liberalism believes that the greater good is more important than individual rights. that the constitution is an outdated document and needs to be changed to fit the changing times. 
conservatives - capitalism separates the worthy from the unworthy; if you're poor you deserve to be poor because it must have been from a mistake you made or a character flaw 

liberals - capitalism is a good but imperfect system; sometimes people need help to get out of poverty and it's fair to ask the very rich to kick in a bit for that purpose