Portal:Conservatism
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Introduction
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology, which seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in which it appears. In Western culture, depending on the particular nation, conservatives seek to promote and preserve a range of institutions, such as the nuclear family, organised religion, the military, the nation-state, property rights, rule of law, aristocracy, and monarchy. Conservatives tend to favour institutions and practices that enhance social order and historical continuity.
Edmund Burke, an 18th-century Anglo-Irish statesman who opposed the French Revolution but supported the American Revolution, is credited as one of the forefathers of conservative thought in the 1790s along with Savoyard statesman Joseph de Maistre. The first established use of the term in a political context originated in 1818 with François-René de Chateaubriand during the period of Bourbon Restoration that sought to roll back the policies of the French Revolution and establish social order.
Conservatism has varied considerably as it has adapted itself to existing traditions and national cultures. Thus, conservatives from different parts of the world, each upholding their respective traditions, may disagree on a wide range of issues. Historically associated with right-wing politics, the term has been used to describe a wide range of views. Conservatism may be either libertarian or authoritarian, populist or elitist, progressive or reactionary, moderate or extreme. (Full article...)
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Early in his presidency, Reagan implemented sweeping new political and economic initiatives. His supply-side economic policies, dubbed "Reaganomics", advocated reducing tax rates to spur economic growth, controlling the money supply to reduce inflation, deregulation of the economy, and reducing government spending. In his first term he survived an assassination attempt, took a hard line stance against labor unions, and ordered the 1983 invasion of Grenada. The next year, he was reelected in a landslide. His second term was primarily marked by foreign matters, including the 1986 bombing of Libya, and the revelation of the Iran–Contra affair, and the end of the Cold War.
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The struggle between the opponents and defenders of capitalism is a struggle between innovators who do not know what innovation to make and conservatives who do not know what to conserve.
— Simone Weil, "The Power of Words" in Selected Essays 1934-1943 (1957)
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On June 10, 2008, the Ron Paul campaign announced the first promotional event for Campaign for Liberty, a "Rally for the Republic." After not being offered a speaking slot at the Republican convention, Ron Paul, who did not support GOP nominee John McCain, decided to stage his own parallel convention in Minneapolis. This event occurred on September 2, 2008, which was the second day of the GOP Convention. Notable attendees were announced, including the Rally's emcee, MSNBC's Tucker Carlson, Governor Jesse Ventura, Governor Gary Johnson, Barry Goldwater Jr., Bruce Fein, Howard Phillips, Thomas Woods, Bill Kauffman, Erik Vendt, Grover Norquist, Lew Rockwell and Doug Wead. Country music star Sara Evans and singer/songwriter Aimee Allen headlined the musical portion of the event. Over half of them sold within 12 hours. On September 1, the more than 10,000 tickets were sold out.
Credit: Gage
Did you know...
- ...that after thirty-five ballots, Republican Party presidential candidates James G. Blaine and John Sherman withdrew their campaigns to support a dark horse candidate named James A. Garfield at the 1880 Republican National Convention (pictured)?
- ...that Geoffrey Wheatcroft, the author of The Strange Death of Tory England, advises British conservatives to learn from the conservatism of the socialist George Orwell?
- ... that for Theodore Dalrymple's book Life at the Bottom, he interviewed over 10,000 people who had attempted suicide?
Selected anniversaries in June
- 1979 – in the United States, the Moral Majority is founded by Jerry Falwell and Paul Weyrich.
- 1983 – the United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945.
- 1987 – in a reference to the Berlin Wall, US President Ronald Reagan challenges Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "Tear down this wall!"
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