Customer Reviews

Upstream: The Ascendance of American Conservatism

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a Democrat, I was prepared to hate this book, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked this book very much. I discovered that I must be a moderate, if not a conservative, Dem.

Mr. Regnery explains in clear prose what it means to be a modern political conservative, and I found myself agreeing with conservatism, as he describes it here, nearly as often as I disagreed. Every left-leaning person should read this book, if for no other reason than to confirm their own, lefty tendencies.

As an example, after reading Mr. Regnery's thoughts on the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education (pp. 220-222), that almost touched off the second Civil War (or perhaps more to the point, War Between the States, if you prefer); I went to a politically liberal source -- A Peoples' History of the Supreme Court by Peter Irons, Chapter 30, "'War on the Constitution'" -- in search of some common ground. Sure enough, there it was. It was clearly in both sources an assertion of federal power over state's power. One argued the supremacy of Article VI and Amendment 14 of the U.S. Constitution. The other argued Article X.

Besides the underlying social issues, I gained a greater appreciation of the Declaration of Independence principle that the people have a right to overturn an oppressive government. To me that is a classical liberal idea. So, am I a classical liberal or a modern day conservative?

If you consider yourself a classical liberal, you might find yourself at least sometimes in agreement with Mr. Regnery. However, if you are a modern day Democrat, do not turn in your membership card.

This is a must read for ANYONE seeking to get the bit of truth out of the current political haze of distortion and confusion between true conservatism and true liberalism. I have always considered myself a moderate, even socialist leaning in many respects, until I read Churchill's History of a British Speaking people and Marx's Communist Manifesto about a year ago and became fascinated with how the ideologies developed in the 20th century history. Basically, after studying the various ideologies and governments stemming from Marxism (Stalin' Russia, Mao's China, the Soviet Union and many screwed up countries today, along with the Welfare state), I changed my mind on the socialist tendencies. I am 25, so I came of age under Bush's big government conservatism and repression of certain rights (which by the way, is going to lose much of my generation to the left out of reaction and repulsion, not personal ideology). I never considered myself a liberal, but hey, they were opposed to Bush so I felt closer to them than the Texan.

Anyways, I wanted to understand the history of this conservative movement that Bush, Reagan, Nixon, and Goldwater, Romney, McCain, etc all claimed as their own. It was clear to me that they all governed radically different from one another yet all campaigned/ are campaigning as a "true conservative". What this book helped me to distinguish was "neo conservatism"- big government conservative regulation, with Goldwater/Reagan conservatism, limited government classic liberalism style conservatism. I'm happy to have finally found a home with Reagan style conservatism, was thrilled to discover the intellectual roots of the movement in Buckley, Freidman, Russell and others, and how clearly the movement defined its goals against its opponents on the new left. Finally I am glad that I am with Buckley, and not with Fred Barnes and william Kristol- two examples of the "neocons" in the book.

Please, even if you consider yourself a "liberal" or moderate like I did, give this book a chance. Its a great history book, one that will not be read or given by our schools or media. I wish these was an assesment of liberalism like this one. You will probably discover Reagan style philosophy is far more consistent with your own ideas of governance than LBJ/ Nixon/ Carter style regulation and socialism. You will have to- if your American these principles are in our blood and imprinted on our hearts. I've always been a fan of trying to be as minimally ignorant as possible, and the journey has led me to Reagan conservatism. Also before I read this book, I had also read a road to serfdom, and the conservative mind- two books that laid the foundation for my ideology change. And finally, Bush is no conservative. In fact, his biggest lie (next to the big big one) during his presidency was convincing the public he was a conservative when he was a big government "compassionate conservative". What the hell does that mean? Its a cover up. He is not a conservative in hardly any sense of the word.

Anyways I am looking for another man or woman to lead our great nation again under the philosophy that literally saved our way of life, at least for the last 20 years. It's being threatened again, and again conservatives must unite to beat back the repression of our liberty and free market systems, private property rights, and reestablish moral order over moral relativism as the foundation of western civilization.

Also the similarities between McCain's campaign and Nixon's are surreal. I predict the same thing will occur if McCain gets in the white house- more regulation, more rapid expansion of government.

The book explains not just about conservatism but the history and how it would probably affect the future. I could not put down the book. It is so interesting to find out just about everything I needed to know. I highly recommend this book to everyone especially students who are brainwashed in the universities and know nothing about common sense.

Though there rightfully is a focus on Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, author Alfred S. Regnery does an outstanding job in placing the emergence of the conservative revolution in a broader context, while featuring the work of numerous individuals.

No political movement operates within a vacuum. Regnery masterfully weaves through the upheaval of the 1960s - with the crushing defeat of Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election - which actually began to set the foundation for what was called the "Reagan Revolution" in the 1980s, with key elements remaining 20 years later.

This is a fascinating read on what is the living history of a watershed moment in American politics.

Good book, competently executed. I am generally considered well-informed but didn't realize, for example, just how amazingly left-of-center Richard Nixon in many ways was by today's standards. This book helped me understand how far the conservative movement has in fact come, and offered me hope and a sense of perspective during a very bad time politically (just after the nomination of McCain).

Length:: 9:13 Mins

Hi, Bernard Chapin here. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I think you will be as well.

This book is not a rant about how conservatism is great and anybody who says they're conservative is great. This book is not a worship manual for Ronald Raegan obsessors. This book is not about bashing people who do not vote republican.

The book is very informative. It is a window into a history not often told. The only agenda Regnery has here is to inform people about what was happening in the political underground back in the day. Reading this book, one learns a lot about both political parties and their complexions. A great read.

The only reason this gets four stars instead of five is because of a slow part in the middle (which my roommates both loved). Other than that, flawless.

This is an outstanding history of conservativism as an intellectual and political movement. It's especially fascinating as Regnery discusses the three distinct groups that described themselves as "conservative" in the early postwar period -- economic conservatives (libertarians), social conservatives (traditionalists), and anti-communists. According to Regnery, Frank Meyer is the largely unsung hero of conservatism for providing the intellectual basis to unify these groups into a single movement.

Detailed and highly readable, "Upstream" is terrific.

This book is a great overview of how American conservatism evolved in the late 20th century. Many of us only know Reagan, and not accurately at that, and wrongly believe that conservatism started with his presidency. Such a view is ignorant of the many individuals how paved the way for Reagan's success. Kirk, Buckley, Chambers, Ashbrook, and others all made valuable contributions, and this particular book provides an accurate view of these contributions. The recounting of their contribution originates with the author's knowledge of these individuals gained from repeated interaction with them. Regnery combines this wealth of personal knowledge with a rich account of historical detail to place each actor in the intellectual and political currents in which they found themselves. All in all, you will be richer for the experience. Get it and enjoy.

IF you wish to get a good working knowledge of his party this is one to read.