Tory A Tory holds a political philosophy ( Toryism ) based on the traditionalism and conservatism originating with the Cavalier faction during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms . This ideology is prominent in the politics of the United Kingdom , and also appears in parts of The Commonwealth , particularly in Canada . It also had exponents in parts of the former British Empire , such as the Loyalists of British America who opposed American independence during the American Revolutionary War . The Tory ethos has been summed up with the phrase ' God , King and Country ' ( " Deo , Regi , Patriae " ) . Tories generally advocate monarchism , are usually of a High Church Anglican religious heritage , and are opposed to the radical liberalism of the Whig faction . The Tory political faction emerged within the Parliament of England to uphold the legitimist rights of James , Duke of York to succeed his brother Charles II to the throne . James II was a Catholic , while the state institutions had broken from the Catholic Church — this was an issue for the Exclusion Bill supporting Patricians , the political heirs to the nonconformist Roundhead s and Covenanter s . There were two Tory ministries under James II ; the first led by Lord Rochester , the second by Lord Belasyse . Some were later involved in his usurpation with the Whigs , which they saw as defending the Anglican Church . Tory sympathy for the Stuarts ran deep however and some supported Jacobitism , which saw them isolated by the Hanoverians until Lord Bute ' s ministry under George III . Conservatism emerged by the end of the 18th century — which synthesised moderate Whig positions and some of the old Tory values to create a new political ideology , in opposition to the French Revolution . Edmund Burke and William Pitt the Younger led the way in this . Due to this faction eventually leading to the formation of the Conservative Party , members of that party are colloquially referred to as " Tories " , even if they are not traditionalists . Actual adherents to traditional Toryism in contemporary times tend to be referred to as " High Tories " to avoid confusion . History of the term . The word " Tory " derives from the Middle Irish word " tóraidhe " ; modern Irish " tóraí " : outlaw , robber or brigand , from the Irish word " tóir " , meaning " pursuit " , since outlaws were " pursued men " . It was originally used to refer to an Irish outlaw and later applied to Confederates or Royalists in arms . The term was thus originally a term of abuse , " an Irish rebel " , before being adopted as a political label in the same way as " Whig " . Towards the end of Charles II ' s reign ( 1660 – 85 ) there was some debate about whether or not his brother , James , Duke of York , should be allowed to succeed to the throne . ' Whigs ' was the abusive term directed at those who wanted to exclude James on the grounds that he was a Roman Catholic . Those who were not prepared to exclude James were labelled ' Abhorrers ' and later ' Tories ' . Titus Oates applied the term " Tory , " which then signified an Irish robber , to those who would not believe in his Popish plot , and the name gradually became extended to all who were supposed to have sympathy with the Catholic Duke of York . The suffix - ism was quickly added to both ' Whig ' and ' Tory ' to make Whiggism and Toryism , meaning the principles and methods of each faction . English and British politics . Historically , the term Tory has been applied in various ways to supporters of the British monarchy . The term was initially applied in Ireland to the isolated bands of guerrillas resisting Oliver Cromwell ' s nine - month 1649 – 1650 campaign in Ireland , who were allied with Royalists through treaty with the Parliament of Confederate Ireland , signed at Kilkenny in January 1649 ; and later to dispossessed Catholics in Ulster following the Restoration . During the Exclusion Bill Crisis the word Tory was applied in England as a nickname to the opponents of the bill , called the Abhorrers . The word ' Tory ' had connotations of Papist and outlaw derived from its previous use in Ireland . English Tories from the time of the Glorious Revolution up until the Reform Bill of 1832 were characterized by strong monarchist tendencies , support for the Church of England , and hostility to reform , while the Tory Party was an actual organization which held power intermittently throughout the same period . Since 1832 , the term " Tory " is commonly used to refer to the Conservative Party and its members . Canada . The term was used to designate the pre - Confederation British ruling classes of Upper Canada and Lower Canada , known as the Family Compact and the Château Clique , an elite within the governing classes , and often members within a section of society known as the United Empire Loyalists . In post - Confederation Canada the terms " Red Tory " and " Blue Tory " have long been used to describe the two wings of the Conservative and previously the Progressive Conservative ( PC ) parties . The diadic tensions originally arose out of the 1854 political union of British - Canadian Tories , French - Canadian traditionalists , and the monarchist and loyalist leaning sections of the emerging commercial classes at the time - many of whom were uncomfortable with the pro - American and annexationist tendencies within the liberal Grits . Tory strength and prominence in the political culture was a feature of life in Nova Scotia , New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island , Ontario , and Manitoba . By the 1930s , the factions within Canadian Toryism were associated with either the urban business elites , or with rural traditionalists from the country ' s hinterland . A " Red Tory " is a member of the more moderate wing of the party ( in the manner of John Farthing and George Grant ) . They are generally unified by their adherence to British traditions in Canada . Throughout the course of Canadian history , the Conservative Party was generally controlled by MacDonaldian Tory elements , which in Canada meant an adherence to the English - Canadian traditions of Monarchy , Empire - Commonwealth , parliamentary government , nationalism , protectionism , social reform , and eventually , acceptance of the necessity of the welfare state . By the 1970s the Progressive Conservative Party was a Keynesian - consensus party . With the onset of stagflation in the 1970s , some Canadian Tories came under the influence of neo - liberal developments in Great Britain and the United States , which highlighted the policies for privatization and supply - side interventions . In Canada , these tories have been labeled neoconservatives - which has a somewhat different connotation in the US . By the early 1980s there was no clear neoconservative in the Tory leadership cadre , but Brian Mulroney , who became leader in 1983 , eventually came to adopt many policies from the Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan governments . As Mulroney took the Progressive Conservative Party further in this direction , with policy initiatives in the areas of deregulation , privatization , free - trade , and a consumption tax called the Goods and Services Tax ( GST ) , many traditionally - minded Tories became concerned that a political and cultural schism was occurring within the party . The 1986 creation of the Reform Party of Canada attracted some of the neo - liberals and social conservatives away from the Tory party , and as some of the neoconservative policies of the Mulroney government proved unpopular , some of the provincial - rights elements moved towards Reform as well . In 1993 , Mulroney resigned , rather than fight an election based on his record after almost nine years in power . This left the PCs in disarray and scrambling to understand how to make toryism relevant in provinces such as Quebec , Saskatchewan , Alberta , and British Columbia that had never had a strong tory tradition and political culture . Thereafter in the 1990s , the PCs were a small party in the Canadian House of Commons , and could only exert legislative pressure on the government through their power in the . Eventually , through death and retirements , this power waned . Joe Clark returned as leader , but the schism with the Reformers effectively watered down the combined Blue and Red Tory vote in Canada . By the late 1990s , there was talk of the necessity of uniting the right in Canada , to deter further Liberal majorities . Many tories - both red and blue - opposed such moves , while others took the view that all would have to be pragmatic if there was any hope of reviving a strong party system . The Canadian Alliance party ( as the Reform Party had become ) , and some leading tories came together on an informal basis to see if they could find common ground . While Progressive Conservative Leader Joe Clark rebuffed the notion , the talks moved ahead and eventually in December 2003 , the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative parties voted to rejoin into a new party called the Conservative Party of Canada . After the merger of the PCs with the Canadian Alliance in 2003 , there was debate as to whether the " Tory " appellation should survive at the federal level . Although it was widely believed that some Alliance members would take offence to the term , it was officially accepted by the newly merged party during the 2004 leadership convention . Stephen Harper , leader of the Conservative Party of Canada , and the Prime Minister as a result of the January 2006 election , regularly refers to himself as a Tory and has suggested that the new party is a natural evolution of the conservative political movement in Canada . American Revolution . The term Tory or " Loyalist " was used in the American Revolution to include those who remained loyal to the British Crown . Since early in the 18th century , Tory had described those upholding the right of the King over Parliament . During the revolution , particularly after the Declaration of Independence in 1776 this use was extended to cover anyone who remained loyal to the British Crown . Those Loyalists who settled in Canada , Nova Scotia , or the Bahamas after the American Revolution are known as United Empire Loyalist s . Texas Revolution . In Texas 1832 – 36 support for the Texas Revolution was not unanimous . The " Tories " were men who supported the Mexican government . The Tories generally were long - term property holders whose roots were outside of the lower South . They typically had little interest in politics and sought conciliation rather than war or they withheld judgment from both sides . The Tories preferred to preserve the economic , political , and social gains that they enjoyed as citizens of Mexico , and the revolution threatened to jeopardize the security of their world . Current usage . In Britain after 1832 the Tory Party was replaced by the Conservative Party , and " Tory " has become shorthand for a member of the Conservative Party or for the party in general . Many Conservatives still call themselves " Tory " to differentiate themselves from opponents , and the term is common in the media . In Canada , the term " Tory " may describe any member of the Conservative Party of Canada , its predecessor party the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada , or any similarly named provincial party ; the term is frequently used in contrast to " Grit " , a shorthand for the Liberal Party of Canada . In Australia , " Tory " is used as a pejorative term by members of the Australian Labor Party to refer to members of the conservative coalition Liberal and National parties . References . Canada section :