Conservatism Books - Page 15

Leo Strauss and the Politics of American Empire

Anne Norton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The teachings of political theorist Leo Strauss (1899–1973) have recently received new attention, as political observers have become aware of the influence Strauss’s students have had in shaping conservative agendas of the Bush administration—including the war on Iraq. This provocative book examines Strauss’s ideas and the ways in which they have been appropriated, or misappropriated, by senior policymakers.



Anne Norton, a political theorist trained by some of Strauss’s most famous students, is well equipped to write on Strauss and Straussians. She tells three interwoven narratives: the story of Leo Strauss, a Jewish German-born émigré, who carried European philosophy into a new world; the story of the philosophic lineage that came from Leo Strauss; and the story of how America has been made a moral battleground by the likes of Paul Wolfowitz, Leon Kass, Carnes Lord, and Irving Kristol—Straussian conservatives committed to an American imperialism they believe will usher in a new world order.

The Conservative Revolution: The Movement That Remade America

Lee Edwards

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Different Perspective From A Gen X Conservative 4 out of 5 stars.
9 of 11 people found this review helpful.

"The Conservative Revolution" is a fascinating detailed look at the history of the Conservative movement from the end of World War II until the late 1990's. It is a very good history and I learned a great deal that I did not know before (I especially appreciated the background on Robert Taft).

As a Gen-X conservative, though, I feel I probably have a different view about events than Lee Edwards who apparantly is old enough to have witnessed most of this history first hand. For one thing, I find it extremely hard to think of Barry Goldwater as a true conservative, given his pro-choice abortion views and his anti-school prayer stance. Also, as a person who experienced his teen years during the 1980's, I also can't forget that Barry Goldwater loved to run to the microphone to criticize Ronald Reagan any chance he got. To me it is obvious that conservatives of the 1960's were following a complete charlatan, and it is no wonder he went down in landslide defeat.

Which brings us to the point that the book should have had far more information about Ronald Reagan than it did. Ronald Reagan is the true Rock of Gibraltar of the conservative movement and he should be the centerpiece of the book rather than sharing space with Goldwater and Gingrich.

However, I do highly recommend this book simply for the reason that most conservatives do not know the history of the conservative movement and this book is the best I have seen in giving that history.

Editorial Review:

Lee Edwards tells the story of how the American conservative movement became the most important political force in the country and reshaped American politics. The story focuses on four Conservative leaders: Robert Taft, Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, and Newt Gingrich.

The Portable Conservative Reader

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Conservative Reader no bedtime story 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 18 people found this review helpful.

Russell Kirk has followed a lifetime of insightful writing with this collection of heavyweight thinkers from across the centuries. In 700 pages of solid political philosophy, Kirk gives the reader a foundational education not always in tune with what we normally consider to be the modern conservative movement. Kirk draws on his extensive breadth literary knowledge to give us a collection of ideas guaranteed to turn our typical conception of conservatism inside out. After a taste of Burke, Hamilton, Toqueville, Disreali, Brownson, Gissing, Kipling, Santayana, Eliot, Kristol and others, a final chapter by Kirk himself is a most appropriate end to an outstanding collection. This is a long-awaited masterpiece for all who call themselves thinking conservatives

Good anthology of conservative thought! 4 out of 5 stars.
12 of 14 people found this review helpful.

This is an anthology of conservative thought put together by the late Russell Kirk. It features a good selection of writings from such luminaries as Edmund Burke, literary genius James Fenimore Cooper, southern conservatives like John Randolph and John C. Calhoun, et al. Nothing is featured though from Richard Weaver. Also writings from prominent Federalists such as John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Fisher Ames are featured. However, there are NO strong paleoconservative arguments presented favoring the American Republic over Jacobin Social Democracy. Also, this anthology could have stood to include the writings of prominent Anti-Federalists. Why do they always get left out? Other anthologies include them. Being weary of a strong central government is a conservative tradition -is it not? Kirk isn't exactly a neoconservative revisionist.

Though this anthology culminates a diverse blend of conservative thought, it is reflective of Kirk's own unique brand of paleoconservatism. All in all, this is a good "portable" anthology of conservative thought that starts with the Burke basics. I might also recommend, Freedom & Virtue : The Conservative Libertarian Debate by by George W. Carey(Editor) and The Paleoconservatives : New Voices of the Old Right by Joseph Scotchie (Editor)

Capitalism and the Historians

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

what is history 4 out of 5 stars.
14 of 17 people found this review helpful.

I am intrigued by this collection of essays in "Capitalism and the Historians" published in 1954. Professor F. A. Hayek of the University of Chicago USA is the editor with contributions from Louis Hacker, W. H. Hutt and Bertrand de Jouvenel. The topic of discussion is specifically, the "legend of the deterioration of th eposition of the working classes in consequence to the rise of 'capitalism'", and generally, "the widespread aversion to 'capitalism'". On a larger scale, these essays examine what is "history", as apart from "political legend". Professor Ashton attacks a general pessismism and lack of economic sense in the commonly accepted views of the economic developments of the nineteenth century. He opposes the views of Sombart and Schumpeter which write history "as though it its function were simply to exhibit the gradualness of inevitability." Rather, Ashton maintains "that it is from the spontaneous actions and choices of ordinary people that progress springs." Louis M Hacker addresses the same themes as Ashton and discusses the present attitude of American historians toward capitalism. Hacker summarises, "When, therefore, historians learn to treat their materials more sensitively and make corrections on the counts indicated, the popularly accepted notions about profits as exploitation will undergo drastic revision." Bertrand de Jouvenel examines the treatment of capitalism by continental intellectuals. He explains that the modern intelligentsia occupies a similar position as the clerics of Medieval Times although their authority is undermined because they lack the responsibility of the clerics who were themselves part of the community. "The study of the past," writes de Jouvenel, "always bears the imprint of the present views." In the second part of this book, Ashton examines what happened to the standard of life of the British working classes in the late decades of the eighteenth and the early decades of the nineteenth. W H Hutt also examines the British factory system of this period. The report of the "Sadler's Commitee" in 1832 is analyzed. Although this examination and defence of "capitalism" made for extremely interesting reading, I was more impressed with the methods these historians used to extract their view of events and thereby, redefine common misconceptions of an historical period. If you are interested in the early development of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, or in history as a dynamic organism, this book will be interesting to you.

Editorial Review:

The views generally held about the rise of the factory system in Britain derive from highly distorted accounts of the social consequences of that system—so say the distinguished economic historians whose papers make up this book. The authors offer documentary evidence to support their conclusion that under capitalism the workers, despite long hours and other hardships of factory life, were better off financially, had more opportunities, and led a better life than had been the case before the Industrial Revolution.

Right-Wing Women: From Conservatives to Extremists Around the World

Paola Bacchetta, Margaret Power

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 1.0 of 5

Thanks for not stereotyping 1 out of 5 stars.
4 of 36 people found this review helpful.

Right-Wing Women? Poor research. Bad categorization. Try again.

Editorial Review:

An oft-neglected subject, Right-Wing women are an important component in understanding the many racist, fascist, and anti-feminist movements of the 20th century. Providing original research on an array of Right-wing groups around the world, the contributors paint a disturbing and complicated portrait of the women involved in these movements. From Mussolini supporters to Klanswomen, this collection provides an eye-opening look at extremist women.

In the Words of Our Enemies

Jed Babbin

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Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A clarion call 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Anyone who has not yet awakened to the peril we all face as freedom loving people should read this book. One cannot fail to make the comparisons to the years leading up to WWII. The people of the world at that time did not heed the blatant declarations of our enemies, just as most seem to be be failing to take them seriously now. If we do not recognize the warnings now, we do so at the risk of losing our freedom for ourselves and our posterity. For the sake of our liberty and the libery of our descendents, please read this book and keep vigilant.

Wake Up America 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This is one of the most timely, but at the same time one of the most scary, books I have read lately and, I believe, tells it like it is. I applaud Jed Babbin for taking the risk of trying to warn America of the terrible threat that is out there and becoming more of a reality every day. I believe every household in America should have a copy of this outstanding book. As a Christian minister I have done considerable research on Muslims and Islam, and find that Islam is not a religion of peace, as many on the liberal side of the spectrum would have us believe, but truly a religion of hate. I fear for this country and for my children and grandchildren. Unfortunately, most of the people in the United States seem to be more interested in American Idol, sports, fantasy, etc., and have their head in the sand as far as the terrible threat that is confronting not only America, but the whole world. Therefore, I say again, we had better WAKE UP AMERICA BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alger Hiss and the Battle for History (Icons of America)

Susan Jacoby

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Editorial Review:

Books on Whittaker Chambers and Alger Hiss abound, as countless scholars have labored to uncover the facts behind Chambers’s shocking accusation before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in the summer of 1948—that Alger Hiss, a former rising star in the State Department, had been a Communist and engaged in espionage.

 

In this highly original work, Susan Jacoby turns her attention to the Hiss case, including his trial and imprisonment for perjury, as a mirror of shifting American political views and passions. Unfettered by political ax-grinding, the author examines conflicting responses, from scholars and the media on both the left and the right, and the ways in which they have changed from 1948 to our present post–Cold War era. With a brisk, engaging style, Jacoby positions the case in the politics of the post–World War II era and then explores the ways in which generations of liberals and conservatives have put Chambers and Hiss to their own ideological uses. An iconic event of the McCarthy era, the case of Alger Hiss fascinates political intellectuals not only because of its historical significance but because of its timeless relevance to equally fierce debates today about the difficult balance between national security and respect for civil liberties.

The Arrogance of the French: Why They Can't Stand Us--and Why the Feeling Is Mutual

Richard Chesnoff

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Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Imagine the fun Mark Twain would have had with France’s undeclared war on America. That’s the kind of humorous insight that journalist Richard Z. Chesnoff delivers in this book. Living among the French in a tiny farming village, Chesnoff vividly dissects the national arrogance, snobbery, and superiority that fuel France’s blatant contempt for the United States.

And the feeling’s mutual. Frustration with the French in Middle America reached an all- time high when we learned of France’s apparent complicity with Saddam Hussein’s regime. “Freedom fries,” boycotts of French wine, and mockery of all things French have become part of the current political dialogue.

But as Chesnoff points out, Franco-American rancor is centuries old, and our current disgust with the French dates back to at least the 1980s, when they refused to let the United States use their air space on the way to bomb Libya. “Are they our allies or not?” we wondered. If Americans didn’t have such an (unrequited) love affair with French food, fashion, and springtime in Paris, we’d be asking, “With friends like that... ?”

Chesnoff offers witty commentaries on the French way of life and why the two countries find each other so exasperating. Are they really just jealous that we replaced them as a global superpower? Have they forgotten America’s sacrifice for France in World Wars I and II? Do they have a right to be haughty when their cuisine, fashion, art, and universities are losing ground to other centers of culture?

This will be the perfect book for anyone who has ever wondered how a beautiful love affair between two countries could go so wrong.

The March of Freedom: Modern Classics in Conservative Thought

Edwin J. Feulner

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Book Conservatives Should Read 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

If you think you know the difference between the modern liberal and the modern conservative, but are not familiar with the writings of the twelve writers collected in this volume, you probably DON'T. These are carefully written, carefully reasoned discussions about statesmanship, economics, politics, and personal attitudes, by "liberals turned conservative", "liberals partly turned conservative", and "long-time but open-minded conservatives" (with the possible exception of William F. Buckley who is Mr Conservative). The introductions to each selection by Edwin Feulner provide a short historical background for each author that is extremely interesting in its own right. This is not a book by "whining" conservatives decrying the existence of "whining" liberals, but a sampling of conservative thought frequently modified by liberal inclinations in certain areas that allow one to assess and evaluate the arguments of conservatism at its best.

Editorial Review:

Excerpts from writings by twelve of those leading conservative voices, including Russell Kirk, William F. Buckley, Jr., and Ronald Reagan.

The Tyranny of Tolerance: A Sitting Judge Breaks the Code of Silence to Expose the Liberal Judicial Assault

Robert H. Jr Dierker

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Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

For the first time, a sitting judge blows the whistle on America’s out-of-control courts.

A judge for more than twenty years, Robert Dierker has enjoyed a distinguished legal career. But now that career may be on the line. Why? Because he is breaking the code of silence that has long kept judges from speaking out to present a withering account of how radical liberals run roughshod over the Constitution, waging war on the laws of nature, the laws of reason, and the law of God.

Even those outraged by America’s courts will be shocked by Judge Dierker’s story of activist judges, deep-pocketed special interest groups, pandering politicians, and others who claim to stand for tolerance, equal rights, and social justice, but actually stand for something quite different—something closer to totalitarianism.

Citing not only Judge Dierker’s own experiences but dozens of other recent court cases, The Tyranny of Tolerance shows how the courts enable left-wing activists to ram their dangerous agenda down the throats of the American people. Consider:

• Why do the courts claim the power to tax us?
• Why is a Christian fired when he voices opposition to his employer’s favoring homosexuals?
• Why are airline pilots sued and sent to “diversity training” for recommending that suspicious-looking people of Middle Eastern appearance be kept off planes?
• Why does a judge who defends a monument to the Ten Commandments in a courthouse lose his job?
• Why are speech codes imposed on employers, university students, lawyers (and judges!), while “artistic” indecency is protected from even the mildest regulation?
• Why are peaceful abortion protesters thrown in jail, their right to free speech crushed?
• Why are white and Asian students denied admission to colleges and universities in the name of “diversity”?
• Why is an enemy fighter captured in Afghanistan granted access to U.S. federal courts, overturning judicial precedent safeguarding the president’s wartime powers—to say nothing of common sense?

With this passionate insider’s account, Judge Dierker reminds Americans what’s at stake in the battle for the courts: the Constitution, the success of the war on terrorism, the freedom to worship God, the ability to keep our families safe, the institution of marriage, and much more.

Fortunately, Judge Dierker shows how we can defeat the radical liberals’ tyranny of tolerance. By wresting back control of the courts and restoring the legal, moral, and religious principles embedded in the Constitution, we can ultimately reclaim the republic the Founders bequeathed to us.


From the Hardcover edition.