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:
“I’ll sing you a new ballad, and I’ll warrant it first-rate,
Of the days of that old gentleman who had that old estate;
When they spent the public money at a bountiful old rate
On ev’ry mistress, pimp, and scamp, at ev’ry noble gate,
In the fine old English Tory times;”
—Charles Dickens (1812–1890)
“This socialism will develop in all its phases until it reaches its own extremes and absurdities. Then once again a cry of denial will break from the titanic chest of the revolutionary minority and again a mortal struggle will begin, in which socialism will play the role of contemporary conservatism and will be overwhelmed in the subsequent revolution, as yet unknown to us.”
—Alexander Herzen (1812–1870)