![]() ![]() ![]() This is a judicious, discerning, and richly informative book. Once again Donald Critchlow has contributed an essential volume to the growing scholarship on conservatism in American politics. Michael Barone, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute In The Conservative Ascendancy, Donald Critchlow tells how the Republican right moved from the political fringe to become, often, the dominant moving force in our politics. Whatever the political future will hold, there can be no question that American politics has moved to the right over the past half-century. Shafer, co-author of The End of Southern Exceptionalism Ira Katznelson, author of When Affirmative Action Was WhiteĪ central question of postwar American politics is how one public philosophy, associated with New Deal liberalism, was displaced by another, the 'conservative ascendancy.' Don Critchlow searches for an answer on an extended tour of postwar political history, guided throughout by the roller-coaster fortunes of the conservative intellectuals and grassroots activists who made up the Republican Right. This uncommonly thoughtful history by a major scholar convincingly depicts how intellectuals, politicians, strategists, activist networks, grassroots mobilization, and ideological media combined to radically shift the center of gravity in American political life. "synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title. The Conservative Ascendancy boldly captures the twists and turns of the GOP Right over the last sixty years, offering a story of how deeply held beliefs about the nature of the individual and the good society are translated into political power. This intensified partisanship reflects the vibrancy of a mature democracy, Critchlow argues, and a new level of political engagement despite its disquieting effect on American political debate. As the Right moved forward with its political program, partisanship intensified and ideological division widened-both between the parties and across the electorate. In this provocative history of the Right in modern America, Critchlow finds a deep dilemma inherent in how conservative Republicans expressed their anti-statist ideology in an age of mass democracy and Cold War hostilities. At each point the accident of historical circumstance precluded a predictable outcome. ![]() In the struggle against the dominant New Deal state, conservatives gained control of the Republican party, but their advance against liberalism and the Democratic party proved less steady. Rather, the history of the postwar Right was one of fierce political warfare as moderate Republicans battled right-wing Republicans for control of their party, and conservatives battled liberals for control of government. ![]() The ascendancy of the GOP Right was not preordained, nor was its political triumph inevitable. Donald Critchlow, a leading historian of American conservatism, shows that time and again the GOP Right appeared defeated, only to rebound with explosive force. Host: Chris Gondek | Producer: Heron & CraneÄespite significant losses in the 2006 midterm elections, the Republican Right remains a powerful and defining force in American politics. Listen to a short interview with Donald Critchlow ![]()
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