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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 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 favour institutions and practices that guarantee 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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Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts politics, eventually becoming that state's governor. His actions during the Boston police strike of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight. Soon after, he was elected as the 29th vice president of the United States in 1920 and succeeded to the presidency upon the sudden death of Warren G. Harding in 1923. Elected in his own right in 1924, he gained a reputation as a small-government conservative and a man who said very little.

Coolidge restored public confidence in the White House after the scandals of his predecessor's administration and left office with considerable popularity. As a Coolidge biographer put it, "He embodied the spirit and hopes of the middle class, could interpret their longings and express their opinions. That he did represent the genius of the average is the most convincing proof of his strength."

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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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After a period of disengagement and drift in the 1970s, the personal friendship between President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, often described as 'ideological soul-mates', reinvigorated what she affirmed as the ‘extraordinary alliance’. They shared a commitment to the philosophy of the free market, low taxes, limited government, and a strong defence; they rejected détente and were determined to win the battle of ideas with the Soviet Union.

Thatcher summed up her understanding of the Special Relationship at her first meeting with Reagan as president in 1981: ‘Your problems will be our problems and when you look for friends we shall be there.’ Celebrating the 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 1985, she enthused: ‘There is a union of mind and purpose between our peoples which is remarkable and which makes our relationship a truly remarkable one. It is special. It just is, and that’s that.’

Credit: Haeel

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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 in the United States, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and its Republican counterpart promote the election of members of their respective parties to the United States Congress?

... that for Theodore Dalrymple's book Life at the Bottom, he interviewed over 10,000 people who had attempted suicide?

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Selected anniversaries in March

7th

1871 – José Paranhos, Viscount of Rio Branco is elected Prime Minister of Brazil
1871 – Otto von Bismarck becomes chancellor of the newly formed German Empire
1962 – Young Americans for Freedom sponsor a rally which draws 18,000 people and has been described as the "birthday of the conservative movement."

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