Overview

"Between 1944 and 1953, a power struggle emerged between New York governor Thomas Dewey and U.S. senator Robert Taft of Ohio that threatened to split the Republican Party. In ""The Roots of Modern Conservatism,"" Michael Bowen reveals how this two-man battle for control of the GOP--and the Republican presidential nomination--escalated into a divide of ideology that ultimately determined the party's political identity. Initially, Bowen argues, the separate Dewey and Taft factions endorsed fairly traditional Republican policies. However, as their conflict deepened, the normally mundane issues of political factions, such as patronage and fund-raising, were overshadowed by the question of what ""true"" Republicanism meant. Taft emerged as the more conservative of the two leaders, while Dewey viewed Taft's policies as outdated. Eventually, conservatives within the GOP organized against Dewey's leadership and, emboldened by the election of Dwight Eisenhower, transformed the party into a vehicle for the Right. Bowen reveals how this decade-long battle led to an outpouring of conservative sentiment that had been building since World War II, setting the stage for the ascendancy of Barry Goldwater and the modern conservative movement in the 1960s."

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9781469602752

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The creation story of the modern conservative movement is a familiar tale of begats. Bill Buckley begat Barry Goldwater who begat Ronald Reagan. But perhaps that tale is too familiar. Michael Bowen offers a fascinating, meticulously researched, and revealing prequel to the well-worn narrative. This is an invaluable, scholarly contribution to both intellectual and political history. --Jonah Goldberg, contributing editor, National Review , and columnist, LA Times Mike Bowen's narrative gives us an inside look at party leadership at a hinge point in our political history. He delves into the back story of a number of figures and events to explain how and why the Republican Party developed the way it did after World War II. This is a must read for anyone interested in the emergence of our modern two-party system. --U.S. Senator Bob Graham Michael Bowen's fine new book is a timely reminder that rifts within political parties are not only about competing policy agendas but also about fights between career politicos and their organizations. The Roots of Modern Conservatism helps explain why the Republicans took so long to rebound from the collapse of the Hoover presidency and what the long-term consequences for American conservatism were of that long period in the political wilderness. --David Stebenne, Ohio State University, author of Modern Republican: Arthur Larson and the Eisenhower Years

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