Conservatism in America Since 1930: A Reader

Gregory L. Schneider

NYU Press, 2003 - History - 452 pages

A collection of documents by conservative thinkers, tracing the rise and prevalence of conservatism in modern America

While there have long been libertarians, agrarians, individualists, collectivists, nationalists, and others who fit the contemporary label of “conservative,” no cohesive conservative movement existed prior to World War II. How, then, did conservatism develop into such a powerful American political force?

Tracing the history of conservatism from the concerns and ideas of the Old Right, through the Cold War, the “Gingrich revolution,” and into the present, Conservatism in America Since 1930 gathers a wide range of conservative writings and documents showcasing the development and protean character of the modern conservative intellectual and political movement.

The book includes essays from Russell Kirk, Milton Friedman, F.A. Hayek, William F. Buckley, Jr., Ronald Reagan, and Pat Buchanan, among others, and highlights key debates between the movement’s factions. Along with essays by these canonical conservative figures, the volume also contains excerpts from sources less frequently cited, such as the Twelve Southerners and Seward Collins, as well as documents from conservative organizations and journals. The primary documents are supplemented by introductions which set the historical context and offer illuminating commentary on how conservatism shifted identity over the course of modern American history.

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Conservatism in America since 1930: a reader

User Review  - Not Available - Book Verdict

Liberals and conservatives alike should have no trouble endorsing this anthology from 70 years of the conservative movement in the United States. Schneider (Emporia State Univ.; Cadres for ...

Conservatism in America since 1930: a reader

User Review  - Not Available - Book Verdict

Liberals and conservatives alike should have no trouble endorsing this anthology from 70 years of the conservative movement in the United States. Schneider (Emporia State Univ.; Cadres for ...

About the author

Gregory L. Schneider is Assistant Professor of History at Emporia State University and author of Cadres for Conservatism: Young Americans for Freedom and the Rise of the Contemporary Right from NYU Press.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Conservatism in America Since 1930: A Reader
• Editor: Gregory L. Schneider
• Publisher: NYU Press, 2003
• ISBN: 0814797997, 9780814797990
• Length: 452 pages
• Subjects: History / United States / 20th Century; Political Science / General