# Paleoconservatism The intellectual tradition that preceded and enabled [[the New Right]], originating from the post-Cold War critique of neoconservatism. Paleoconservatism combines anti-interventionist foreign policy, immigration restrictionism, cultural traditionalism, and often explicit ethno-nationalism into a coherent oppositional movement that directly fathered the alternative right. ## Core Tenets - Non-interventionist foreign policy: opposition to American military imperialism and global interventionism - Immigration restrictionism: opposition to both legal and illegal immigration as threats to national culture and labor markets - Cultural traditionalism: defense of Western Christian civilization and traditional social structures against progressive dissolution - National sovereignty: skepticism of international institutions and supranational governance - Ethno-nationalism: explicit concern with the preservation of white or Western European ethnic/cultural identity ## Key Figures | Figure | Role | |--------|------| | [[Pat Buchanan]] | "Grandfather figure" of paleoconservatism; 1992 "culture war" speech prototype | | [[Samuel Francis]] | Intellectual theorist, paleo-right ideologist | | [[Paul Gottfried]] | Academic theorist who literally coined the term "alternative right" in 2008 | | [[John Tanton]] | Immigration restrictionist, founder of multiple restrictionist organizations | | [[Peter Brimelow]] | VDare founder, immigration critic, paleoconservative intellectual | | [[Jared Taylor]] | White nationalist, [[American Renaissance]] founder | | [[Steve Sailer]] | HBD (human biodiversity) intellectual, race science advocate | ## Institutional Infrastructure - **The American Conservative**: Paleoconservative magazine founded in 2002 - **Chronicles Magazine**: Paleoconservative journal of culture and politics - **VDare**: Immigration-restrictionist website and publication - **[[FAIR]] (Federation for American Immigration Reform)**: Immigration restrictionist advocacy organization - **CIS ([[Center for Immigration Studies]])**: Think tank focused on immigration restriction - **American Renaissance**: White nationalist publication and conference ## Connections to Other New Right Factions Paleoconservatism is the direct intellectual ancestor of the New Right. Paul Gottfried's 1986 book "The Conservative Movement" and his coining of the term "alternative right" in 2008 directly birthed what became the modern New Right. Pat Buchanan's 1992 "culture war" speech served as the prototype for New Right messaging. Paleoconservative intellectual currents feed into [[National Conservatism]] (which makes paleoconservative ideas more electorally palatable), [[Groyper Movement]] (which radicalizes paleo themes), and even [[Vitalism (New Right)]] (which aesthetic-izes paleo reactionary impulses). The paleoconservative emphasis on immigration restriction and ethnic identity provides the foundation for more explicitly white-nationalist factions. ## See Also [[Alternative Right]], [[Immigration Restrictionism]], [[Pat Buchanan]], [[Anti-Interventionism]]