Book Presentation
The Rise and Fall of Modern American Conservatism by David Farber
Book Abstract
Modern conservatism is a relatively recent political order, stemming from a divide forced by the New Deal. In The Rise and Fall of Modern American Conservatism, Farber examines the history of conservatism by focusing on the lives and careers of six leaders at the heart of the modern conservative movement: Robert Taft, William Buckley, Barry Goldwater, Phyllis Schlafly, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush. By examining the work of these figures, Farber argues that while liberals have insisted on the primacy of equality in the pursuit of justice and argue that economic liberty and the free market must be restrained to assure that equality, conservatives instead have believed that a disciplined, well-ordered society can and must be built on the proven economic power of the free market, a firm patriotism, traditional religious faith, and long-standing cultural precepts.
About the Author
David Farber is professor of history at Temple University. His previous books include Taken Hostage: The Iran Hostage Crisis and America’s First Encounter with Radical Islam and What They Think of Us: International Perceptions of the United States Since 9/11.
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