What is "old guard"

n. 1 A (comparatively) conservative, reactionary faction that is more unwilling to accept new ideas than their peers are. 2 Collectively, the members of a team who have been a long time in a place.

n. a faction that is unwilling to accept new ideas

Old Guard generally refers to a veteran or group of veterans, a conservative faction, or an older segment of a population. More specifically, the term may refer to:

• Old Guard, units of the French Imperial Guard under Napoleon Bonaparte
• Old Guard, the Southern high society in the Reconstruction era of the United States, especially in major cities like Charleston and Atlanta
• Old Guard, a segment of the leather subculture
• Old Guard (Australia), a right wing organisation of the 1920s and 1930s
• Old Guard (Atlanta), a division of the Gate City Guard of Atlanta, Georgia, United States
• Old Guard (New York), a ceremonial battalion of New York City infantry veterans, founded 1826
• Old Guard (Philadelphia), a ceremonial battalion in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Old Guards (Russia), the collective term for military units serving as personal guards of the Emperor of Russia
• Bolshevik old guard
• Old Guard faction, an organized grouping in the Socialist Party of America in the early 1930s, which left in 1936 to establish the Social Democratic Federation
• The Old Guard, an American magazine published from 1863 to 1867
• Nickname of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment and its
  • Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps

The Old Guard (French Vieille Garde) were the elite veteran elements of the Emperor Napoleon's Imperial Guard. As such it was the most prestigious formation in Napoleon's Grande Armée. French soldiers often referred to Napoleon's Imperial Guard as "the Immortals."

The Old Guard was formed of veteran soldiers who had served Napoleon since his earliest campaigns.

It is believed that Napoleon hand-selected members of his Old Guard based on physical traits, most notably above-average height. Their imposing stature was likely impressive to foes and allies alike. Serving in the army for several years as well as a citation for bravery were also taken into consideration when selecting troops into the Old Guard.

The Old Guard was an Australian anti-communist organisation which was started in 1930, although its exact origins are disputed. At least one historian has claimed that it existed as early as 1917. It has been described as a paramilitary, quasi-official, vigilante, counterrevolutionary, anti-communist organisation. The Old Guard had a similar purpose and composition to the National Guard of the United States. It had legal sanction under the Peace Officers Act 1925.

The group was primarily concerned with the social conditions arising from the Great Depression, and the actions of the New South Wales government led by Jack Lang. Neither the Old Guard, nor its offshoot, the New Guard, supported the Australia First Movement. In response to rumours that fires would be started by agitators, the Old Guard was a driving force behind the more effective organisation of country bush fire brigades in New South Wales. As the threat of communism waned the Old Guard had little to do. It was dissolved sometime in the 1950s.