The 1960s were a transformative era for American politics, but much is still unknown about the growth of conservatism during the period when it was radically reshaped and became the national political force that it is today.
The 1960s were a transformative era for American politics, but much is still unknown about the growth of conservatism during the period when it was radically reshaped and became the national political force that it is today. In their efforts to chronicle the national politicians and organizations that led the movement, previous histories have often neglected local perspectives, the role of religion, transnational exchange, and other aspects that help to explain conservatism's enduring influence in American politics. Taken together, the contributions gathered here offer a cutting-edge synthesis that incorporates these overlooked developments and provides new insights into the way that the 1960s shaped the trajectory of postwar conservatism.
"This volume . . . laudably covers a range of conservatives missing from standard accounts and proves that the movement was never a monolith either orchestrated from the top or driven from the bottom." Journal of American History
"The Right Side of the Sixties, a fitting double entendre in the instance of this collection, explores important issues for conservatism at a time when the defeat of Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election seemed to presage its demise. These essays focus on questions of race, religion, economics, domestic politics, and foreign policy. Scholarly and informative, they shed light on the evolution and reordering of modern thought and practice. Highly recommended." - CHOICE
"This collection of essays should be a significant addition to the rapidly growing literature on conservatism. One of the key contributions to knowledge that this book will make is that instead of focusing on conservatism as a reaction to liberalism it concentrates on the internal shifts and transformations within the movement itself." - Andrew Hartman, associate professor of History, Illinois State University
"The torch has been passed to a new generation - of historians of conservatism. The essays in this volume show the complexities of conservative history in the 1960s, deepening our understanding of the rise of the Right to political power after that decade. The essayists ask probing questions, and with sagacity and in learned and elegantprose, provide us with more avenues to study and to appreciate the development of conservatism. It is a first rate collection by young scholars." - Gregory L. Schneider, professor of History, Emporia State University
