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Rick Perlstein

Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus Paperback – April 15, 2002

by Rick Perlstein (Author)

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A bold and astute narrative history of conservatism's climb and one of the best-reviewed books of 2001.

Rick Perlstein's Before the Storm tells the story of the rise of the conservative movement in the liberal 1960s -- a story that, until this book, had never been told. The figure at the heart of the story is, of course, Barry Goldwater, the handsome renegade Republican from Arizona who loathed the federal government, despised liberals on sight, and mocked "peaceful coexistence" with the USSR. But Perlstein's narrative shines a light on a whole world of conservatives and their antagonists, including William F. Buckley, Nelson Rockefeller, and Bill Moyers. Vividly and thrillingly written, Before the Storm is already recognized as an essential book about the 1960s.

Print length

688 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Hill and Wang
Publication date

April 15, 2002
Dimensions

5.5 x 1.25 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

0809028581
ISBN-13

978-0809028580
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Customer reviews

5 star		69%
4 star		22%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
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Mark D

exploiting fear and anger is a much more effective way to win elections than appealing to voters' hope and their better angels. I honestly thought that Trump would lose ...

Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2018

Verified Purchase

I just finished reading Before the Storm. It had a slow start; and Perlstein piled up so much detail that it was hard reading, although I was fascinated by his stories about Clarence Manion. His son, Daniel Manion, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, shows the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

As the story turned more toward the 1964 election, though, the book took off. It was eerie how much of what Goldwater was about became Trumpism in 1964. Goldwater's campaign and messaging were mismanaged to the point of gross malpractice; however, he tapped into exactly the same anger and resentment that Trump later used much more effectively. There is nothing new under the sun; and it shows that for the most part, exploiting fear and anger is a much more effective way to win elections than appealing to voters' hope and their better angels. I honestly thought that Trump would lose in the same way that Goldwater did in 1964. Perlstein showed me why the 2016 election turned out the way it did. Before the Storm is an essential book to understanding what is going on today.

40 people found this helpful

Helpful

Exceptional political history -- no matter where you are on the political spectrum

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2014

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This is an amazingly detailed but incredibly readable explanation of how Barry Goldwater obtained the nomination in 1964, sure to be of interest to those who enjoy the era and what led to today's political environment.

Sometimes detail can kill a book, but Perlstein has such a light hand that -- despite the length -- it reads almost like a novel and I felt like I was there. Despite his own political orientation, it's also a very balanced book. Yes, there are some crazies and repellent people in this book, but he makes it easy to understand the appeal that Goldwater had to decent people. Perlstein's efforts to help readers understand the actual concerns and motivations of conservatives is exceptional.

His respect for his reader's own political judgment and knowledge is delightful and his writing style is a treat to read. I love narrative history and this is one of the most outstanding examples I've ever encountered.

One person found this helpful

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David S. Levine

Rick Pearlstein is a snarky left winger, but in ...

Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2014

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Rick Pearlstein is a snarky left winger, but in THIS volume he got his facts right. the takeover of the Republican Party by its rank and file is a story that ought to be told accurately and Rick Pearlstein did so. It is an accurate history and I was following it at the time as the liberal Democ-rat I was at the time, God forgive me. Some might say that the book is too detailed but in order to tell the story accurately it HAS to be detailed--it was in the weeds that the rank and file of the Republican Party had to work, i.e. it was the rank and file Republicans that had to be mobilized to end the rule of the Rockefellers and others who dictated Republican presidential candidates from the time of Willkie through Nixon's 1960 nomination. This book tells the story well and its author's ideology did not get in the way, as it did with his "Nixonland."

One person found this helpful

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Tommy Lee Johnson

It Gets Better

Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2021

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When I started this book it struck me as just another liberal hatchet job. Having just finished "The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America" by George H. Nash, maybe I was expecting something a little more...academic; which was my mistake. Perlstein is obviously more of a pop history writer. Anyway, I'm not sure where I changed my mind, but by the time Perstein introduced F. Clifton White, I was more confident I was getting a balanced view of the Goldwater campaign. Unlike the Nash, this is not a book about political ideology, but definitely about Conservatism's first passionate attempt to capture America. Frankly, in the end, Goldwater comes across as a man whose integrity dooms him. And Johnson as a ruthless, true believer in New Deal liberalism. It is the Republicans who you get to know in the book. Nixon , Rockefeller, Lodge, and Scranton are shown as contenders, then spoilers, and finally converts to Goldwater or Johnson. It's definitely a political book and politics has not changed much in 60 years.

4 people found this helpful

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The Beginning of the Extreme Right

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2015

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A few years ago I read and thoroughly enjoyed Rick Perlstein's impressive Nixonland: America's Second Civil War and the Divisive Legacy of Richard Nixon 1965-1972 (2008). And am looking forward to reading the last book in the trilogy of the rise of the conservatism in America, The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Regan (2014). But before undertaking the last volume in the series, I thought that I should go back and read the first volume in the series, Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus (2002), for a better overall understanding of how America has arrived at this point in time in which politics have shifted significantly to he right. One of the things I liked best about Nixonland, was that Perlstein brought in historical and cultural examples of the changing of society and culture over time. He does this in Before The Storm as well, but he doesn't really get to this aspect until about 200 pages in the book after he has established how the conservative movement became organized nationally with a base in Orange County in California. He also shows how the John Birch Society was formed as well as Buckely's conservative National Review. The story of politics cannot be told without broaching the civil rights movement that was dividing the nation at the time. It is somewhat difficult to get my head around the fact that in the past the Republican party (the party of Lincoln) used to be the proponents of the civil rights movement and that most southerns were staunch Democrats. The is book chronicles how this reversal started to take place with a conservative Republican like Goldwater. I think the book really starts getting interesting during the lead up to the Republican primaries when Perlstein starts reporting about domestic and world events that had an effect public perception of politics and candidates. Obviously Kennedy's assassination and the escalating war in Vietnam. It is at this time that Republican front runner for the 1964 Presidential election, Nelson Rockefeller, becomes a liability after divorcing his long-time wife and marrying a formerly married woman 20 years younger. As usual Nixon is there even though he was decimated in the previous election by Kennedy, but Henry Cabot Lodge emerges as a dark horse despite the fact he is serving as an adviser in Vietnam. Some of Goldwater's gaffes talking to the media are reminiscent of Donald Trump's in the present run up to the Republican nomination for President. Essentially he scared off most people with his extremist views and the seeds of the modern Tea Party were sown so long ago with the fringe right and the rise of Nixon and Regan after him. There were fears that Medicare would take over medicine industry and that many of these people thought that 50 percent of welfare recipients were frauds among many other long standing myths from the extreme right. It was also during this election that Bill Moyers, LBJ's campaign manger and trusted aide, was key in innovating "the full-time espionage, sabotage, and mudslinging unit" that is so prevalent today. it is another impressively research book like the one I read previously, Nixonland, however as I mentioned earlier it took me a while to get into this narrative since painstaking details leading up to Goldwater's nomination dominated the book and was not so compelling in some aspects of corralling Republican delegates. That being said it was very enlightening overall.

38 people found this helpful

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indomir

Not for the faint hearted or 'general reader'

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 5, 2021

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The first couple of 100 pages are a bit of a struggle, a deep dive in to the thickets of right wing Republican factions from which the reader doesn't emerge until the New Hampshire primary after which the story cracks on. Interesting parallel with the Trump 'insurgency', not so much the candidates but the nature and passion of their base, especially those 'left behind' and 'left out', even the 'dirty books' having their broad equivalent in Fox and the social media.
ps Assume author meant Harold Wilson was 'installed' rather than 'ousted' as PM in Oct 1964 (p493 pbk) although even that doesn't make sense in the context.

Arthurbrownscraziestworld

A great book. Really informative and detailed

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2018

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A great book. Really informative and detailed. Had no idea who Barry Goldwater was before reading and now feel like I have a great idea of both the man and the times (mid sixties America). Especially relevant considering the 2016 election which also saw a Democrat go up against a crazed Republican with much different results.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

I wish the author had written more about his family ...

Reviewed in Canada on January 26, 2018

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I wish the author had written more about his family background and childhood. It would explain more fully what made Goldwater tick.

Dionisio Escarabajal

The future anticipated

Reviewed in Spain on October 12, 2014

Verified Purchase

It's an intelectual pleasure to read this book about the events in the past that wiould shape so decisiveky the future in american politics.

ken

I was looking forward to this book as I am ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2014

Verified Purchase

I was looking forward to this book as I am really enjoying Robert Caro's Johnson biography (now eagerly awaiting volume 5!). this book seemed to be trying to emulate that book but is very heavy on endless details of the right wing factions either supporting or fighting Goldwaters nomination with too little background describing the bigger political events in the States at the time. Also, in this volume at least there was nothing to grip the reader about Goldwater himself. Disappointing.

2 people found this helpful

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