The CONSERVATIVE REVOLUTION : THE MOVEMENT THAT REMADE AMERICA

Rating:
Summary: A Different Perspective From A Gen X Conservative
Review: "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.

Rating:
Summary: Good starting place
Review: A pretty good overview of the Conservative movement. I was especially moved by the eloquent pages on Barry Goldwater, the last true Conservative to run for President. Reagan wasn't bad but he never got far enough away from his Holywood socialist roots (and he infected us with the Bush twins - better than Clinton but liberals none the less). Even as he was facing down the Soviets he introduced about as much government intrusion into our lives as Clinton has. But then too many young conservatives today don't even really know what the word means or can explain the roots of the philosophy behind it. This book is a good start but make certain you read some of the classic post-war capitalist writers like Ayn Rand to get a full view of the birth of the American conservative movement.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Introduction
Review: In "The Conservative Revolution: The Movement That Remade America," author Lee Edwards does an excellent job of guiding readers through the growth of the Conservative movement in America. In his book, he not only illustrates the struggles that conservatives have faced as an opposition movement, he has also shown the struggles that continue to exist even after conservatives have succeeded in gaining power. By tying the conservative movement to the careers of four individual politicians, Edwards succeeds in giving a human face to the movement. In the early days of the conservative movement, as personified by Senator Robert Taft, Edwards shows how the movement grew in response to America's increased international prestige following WWII. With the emergence of Republican Presidential Candidate Barry Goldwater, Edwards shows how the conservative movement began to gain ground among the American public. The emergence of the conservative movement increases dramatically with the election of President Ronald Reagan and is then capped off with the 1994 election of Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House. Luckily, Edwards does not end there. He is evenhanded in showing the errors made by conservatives as they take control of the branches of government and suggests that this is a struggle that has not yet seen its final chapter.