Conservatives sometimes favored but at other times opposed a strong central government, sometimes criticized free-market capitalism but at other times supported it. Some denigrated democracy while others championed it. Core elements, however, have connected thinkers in a specifically American conservative tradition, in particular a skepticism about human equality and fears for the survival of civilization. Allitt brings the story of that tradition to the end of the twentieth century, examining how conservatives rose to dominance during the Cold War. Throughout the book he offers original insights into the connections between the development of conservatism and the larger history of the nation.
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Background Information
Herbert Hoover made a fortune in mining and organized aid to Europe after World War I, but is now most remembered for not having prevented the Great Depression. Daniel Webster of New Hampshire was a force in the United States Senate for the preservation of the Union above all else. The conservative movement began as a reaction to the dominance of liberalism at the federal level during the Democratic administrations from FDR to LBJ. Ronald Reagan launched the United States into a military buildup contest with the Soviet Union that the Russians ultimately couldn't sustain.