Tory socialism was a term devised by historians, particularly of the early Fabian Society, to describe the governing philosophy of the British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli. Such philosophy is generally defined as the belief in reformist-minded activist government, at once appealing to political sentiments commonly associated with both conservatism and socialism.
The domestic policies of Richard Nixon were also considered by many intellectuals to be Tory socialist, and had much in common with the philosophy of "big government conservatism" espoused by many neo-conservatives. It was in keeping with this that David Gelernter wrote a long essay in The Weekly Standard extolling Disraeli as the founder of modern neo-conservatism. The phrase has also been used by Vernon Bogdanor to describe the thinking of Ferdinand Mount. The phrase ewas also used to describe both Stanley Balswin and Harold MacMillan in the 1930s, and by Tony Judge in his biographical study of Robert Blatchford.
Famous quotes containing the words tory and/or socialism:
“The Tory camp is now in sight,
And there he cowers within his den;
He hears our shouts, he dreads the fight,
He fears, and flies from Marion’s men.”
—William Gilmore Simms (1806–1872)
“Successful socialism depends on the perfectibility of man. Unless all, or nearly all, men are high-minded and clear-sighted, it is bound to be a rotten failure in any but a physical sense. Even through it is altruism, socialism means materialism. You can guarantee the things of the body to every one, but you cannot guarantee the things of the spirit to every one; you can guarantee only that the opportunity to seek them shall not be denied to any one who chooses to seek them.”
—Katharine Fullerton Gerould (1879–1944)