Tory

{{UKpolitics}}
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The [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative and Unionist Party]] in the [[United Kingdom]] is often referred to as the '''Tory''' Party. This appellation is quite general and is even used by its own members at all levels despite its less than complimentary origin: "from the Middle Irish word ''tóraidhe'', modern Irish ''tóraí'' — outlaw, robber".<ref group=note>Coincidentally, in [[South Korea]], those who talk nonsense are also known as ''Torai''. </ref> The original Tory Party which preceded the Conservatives was founded in 1678 and the {{wpl|Tamworth Manifesto}} transformed the Tory Party into the modern-day Conservatives.<ref>{{wpa|Tories (British Political Party)}}<br />{{wpa|Tamworth Manifesto}}<br />{{wpa|Conservative Party (UK)}}</ref>

Tory is also widely used in [[Canada]] to refer to the [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative]] and [[Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]] parties at both the federal and provincial level.

==As a political philosophy==
In Britain and Canada, "Toryism" also refers to a particular strain of [[Conservatism|conservative]] thought that emerged in reaction to the [[American Revolution|American]] and [[French Revolution]]s. It was the governing philosophy of the British elite, particularly the "old money", seeing [[traditional values]], the landed gentry, and the [[monarchy]] as guiding forces in a world that was rapidly changing due to the [[Industrial Revolution]]. When it came to cultural values, they were either [[Church of England|High Anglicans]] or [[Traditionalist Catholicism|traditionalist Catholics]] and opposed radical social reform. They generally took a paternalistic attitude towards the lower classes; as [[Socialism|socialist]] politics developed in the late 19th century, they often came around to supporting a [[welfare state]] in order to prevent poverty from leading to social upheaval and revolution.<ref group=note>For a non-British example of this, the [[Germany|German]] welfare state created by Otto von Bismarck was [http://www.ssa.gov/history/ottob.html transparently aimed] at undercutting the appeal of the socialists and preventing an uprising like the Paris Commune in 1871.</ref> They were highly suspicious of [[free trade]], particularly when it came to agriculture, and economically they supported protectionist policies like the Corn Laws<ref>Encyclopedia Brittanica: [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/137814/Corn-Law Corn Law]</ref> which fueled the Great Famine in Ireland.

Today, Conservatives who still identify with classical Toryism as opposed to the [[neoliberalism]] of the modern Conservative Party typically call themselves High Tories or Red Tories.

=="Tory" in the US==
[[File:Mobbing the Tories - Project Gutenberg eText 16960.jpg|thumb|right|"Mobbing the Tories" following the revolution]]
In the US, the word has generally retained its pejorative emphasis. During the [[American Revolution]]ary War, "Tory" referred to a resident of the colonies who supported the British. Many, including [[Benjamin Franklin]]'s son William, fled the country during and after the Revolution, moving to [[Canada]] or back to the British Isles. At least part of the motivation for fleeing was to escape widespread mob violence following the revolution.

During the [[American Civil War]], "Tory" was used in a derogatory manner in the southern states, referring to southerners fighting for the North.{{Citation needed}}

In Cambridge, [[Massachusetts]], the [[moonbat]] capital of the East Coast, Brattle Street, between Harvard Square and the Watertown border, is sometimes called Tory Row due to the large number of big, very old houses and the Revolutionary-era population of Royalists who lived in them.
==Notes==
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==References==
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{{stub|politics}}
[[Category:British politics]]
[[Category:Political terms]]
[[Category:Right-wing politics]]

Categories: British politics, Political terms, Right-wing politics