When did capitalism become associated with conservatism? (Congress, enemy, Reagan)
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Actually to expand andywire's point, when the DNC (the radical extreme left wing of the party) vanquished the far more sensible, business friendly DLC. At that point, Democrats lost any possible way to be taken seriously when indicating business was anything other than their number one enemy to conquer.
You could say it goes back to the beginning because there were connections between Adam Smith and some of the early US leaders like Benjamin Franklin.
But another way to look at iit is that it goes back to the early 20th century when socialism started to become a force in American politics--at least back to Calvin Coolidge or Taft.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coolidge
After all, the chief business of the American people is business. They are profoundly concerned with producing, buying, selling, investing and prospering in the world.
When did capitalism become associated with conservatism? Is this a recent thing? Maybe in the 1980s with Reagan?
Try the 1700s.
It was liberals in Europe who pushed for Capitalism, but liberals in Europe were the same as American conservatives here in the US.
Radicals in Europe are equivalent to liberals in the US. The radicals usually sat on the left-side in the various houses of parliament, and so they became known as the left-wing -- because they sat on the left wing of the tiers of seats in parliament -- get it?
It was actually the left-wing in the US who co-opted the term "liberal," applying it to themselves and then labeling everyone else as conservative in a deceitful attempt to convince the naive that the left-wing equated to liberalism (Euro-style).
The Euro-left, Euro left-wing, and American liberals were always associated with Socialism and Communism, because, you know, those are the views that were espoused and they were considered radical, and in particular, radically opposed to Capitalism.
When conservatives began implying that businesses, specifically corporations and the wealthy are far more important than the citizens of its nation. What I want to know, is what comes first, business or citizens? Businesses depend on citizens but the government depends on citizens but they treat business much better than its own citizens.
A capitlist economy can not flourish with to many restraints. Also, when the government starts taking over private sector business all for the sake of "the nation", this also strangles the free market, capitalist system that we are supposed to have.
So the natural reaction to government growth, is to constrain, or conserve it.
Hence, conservatives.
Republicans stole the idea of conservative though, the conservative party has flipped between parties throughout history. Republicans nationalized the rail system, while Democrats wanted more states rights at one point in time. Hell, fought a war over that one.
Its why I think the two party system is broken, I'm not alone, Washington felt the same way (as in the General). Congress should debate each issue, one at a time, without party, and vote based on its merits.
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