The Roots of Modern Conservatism: Dewey, Taft, and the Battle

The Roots of Modern Conservatism: Dewey, Taft, and the Battle for the Soul of the Republican Party

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 Taft emerged as the more conservative of the two leaders, while Dewey viewed Taft's policies as outdated.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.

Country	USA
Author	Michael Bowen
Binding	Paperback
EAN	9781469618968
Edition	Reprint
ISBN	1469618966
Label	The University of North Carolina Press
Manufacturer	The University of North Carolina Press
MPN	black & white illustrations
NumberOfItems	1
NumberOfPages	272
PartNumber	black & white illustrations
PublicationDate	2014-08-01
Publisher	The University of North Carolina Press
ReleaseDate	2014-08-01
Studio	The University of North Carolina Press

The Roots of Modern Conservatism: Dewey, Taft, and the Battle for the Soul of the Republican Party