Portal:Conservatism

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Introduction

Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that 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, organized religion, the military, the nation-state, property rights, rule of law, aristocracy, and monarchy. Conservatives tend to favor institutions and practices that enhance social order and historical continuity.

The 18th-century Anglo-Irish statesman Edmund Burke, 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. One of the three major ideologies along with liberalism and socialism, conservatism is the dominant ideology in many nations across the world, including Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia, Singapore, and South Korea. 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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José Paranhos, Viscount of Rio Branco (1819–1880) was a politician, monarchist, diplomat, teacher and journalist of the Empire of Brazil. Rio Branco's work in the press, highlighting threats posed by the armed conflicts in the Platine republics (Argentina and Uruguay), attracted the attention of Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão, Marquis of Paraná, who invited him to act as secretary on a diplomatic mission to Montevideo. In 1869, he dispatched to Paraguay, this time to negotiate an end to its war with Brazil. In 1871, Rio Branco became the president of the Council of Ministers for the first time. He would become the Council's longest-serving president, and his cabinet the second longest, in Brazilian history. His government was marked by a time of economic prosperity and the enactment of several necessary reforms. The most important of these initiatives was the Rio Branco Law, which granted freeborn status to children born to slave women. Rio Branco died in 1880 and was widely mourned throughout the country. He is regarded by most historians as one of Brazil's greatest statesmen.

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Conservative: One who admires radicals a century after they're dead.
— Leo Rosten, in R.L. Woods's The Modern Handbook of Humor (1967)

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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

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Did you know...

...that Ronald Reagan's autobiography, An American Life, reached number eight on The New York Times' bestsellers list?

...that before John Gilbert Higgins became a Canadian senator, he hung black crêpe paper on his door in mourning the day that the Dominion of Newfoundland joined Canada?

... that, in its campaign against a Romanian World War I alliance with the Entente powers, the newspaper Seara employed conservatives, socialists and anarchists as contributors?

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Selected anniversaries in February

6th

Ronald Reagan Day in California.
1911 – Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States, is born.

16th

1973 – The Heritage Foundation, which took a leading role in the conservative movement in the United States during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, is founded with Paul Weyrich (pictured) as its first president.

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