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Michael Bowen

The Roots of Modern Conservatism: Dewey, Taft, and the Battle for the Soul of the Republican Party Paperback – August 1, 2014

by Michael Bowen (Author)

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 Taft emerged as the more conservative of the two leaders, while Dewey viewed Taft's policies as outdated.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

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publisher

University of North Carolina Press
Publication date

August 1, 2014
Dimensions

6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1469618966
ISBN-13

978-1469618968
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Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a masterful treatment of a time when the Republican Party was truly a minority party, and an adroit explanation of how it began to lift itself out of the doldrums.--North Carolina Historical Review

This book makes a necessary correction to our understanding of the history of conservatism and the Republican party, and it will be useful for scholars, graduates, and upper-level undergraduates.--Journal of American History

[A] judicious and timely account.--The Historian

Bowen offers a convincing account of the demise of Dewey's moderate Republicanism and Taft's Old Guard.--Kansas History

Explore[s] in insightful ways American political developments during the 1940s and 1950s. . . . [It] merit[s] wide attention.--International Social Science Review

A detailed, interesting, even intriguing investigation. . . . Through careful analysis of archival material, news and magazine accounts, and the writings of other scholars, Bowen tells a lively and largely well written story about ideas, politics, egos, and both good and bad decisions.--Florida Historical Quarterly

Review

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

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of North Carolina Press; Reprint edition (August 1, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1469618966
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1469618968
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,574,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,368 in Political Parties (Books)
- #3,846 in Political Conservatism & Liberalism
- #41,183 in U.S. State & Local History

Customer Reviews:
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Garren Shipley

A Brillitantly Researched take on Modern Conservatism

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2014

Verified Purchase

It's a common fault in modern times: history started in 2000, when the Internet really took off, or even worse, at the beginning of the current President's term in office. This book breaks that illusion and digs deep into the history of where our modern beliefs and disagreements come from. A brilliant, quite readable, scholarly take on modern politics. Highly recommended.

2 people found this helpful

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D. J. Leedham

A Once Shining History?

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2013

Verified Purchase

This is a useful history and I'm glad I read it. But we have moved on since then and the more recent history of partisan politics is not really that much better informed by this account. I was hoping for more insight into the mentality of the conservative perspective. This is a decent account and fills a hole in my historical understanding. But not, really, contemporary behavior. Much has changed. (24 hour cable news hour, self aware cynicism, etc) Possibly the characters portrayed in this account were principled, more so than contemporary politicians. I did get a sense that the issues raised in this account are no longer a driving force of contemporary politics, and that nothing, really has replaced them. So it does feel as though contemporary conservatism is otiose, or moribund.

The time running up to the War (WW2) and then Roosevelt's policies to deal with the German and Japanese aggression pretty much put paid to the "primitives" - the reactionaries and isolationists. But then they were back after the war with the "You Lost our China" and the great McCarthy Communists under the bed hearings.... Was there ever anything useful or valuable conservative extremists ever contributed?

I will have to look elsewhere for a more contemporary account of current polemics.

Helpful

Stuart Shapiro

Important work but dry (four stars for those fascinated by political insider baseball).

Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2015

The Roots of Modern Conservatism indeed looks at the roots of the conservative ascendancy and gets deep into the weeds of Republican postwar politics. As such, it is a significant contribution to our understanding of that period. When one hears about the rise of conservatism, one hears about Irving Kristol and Barry Goldwater, rarely about Robert Taft. This book corrects that. It is thoroughly researched and sourced and I have no doubt about the merit of the author's reporting.

But it is dry. If you are deeply interested in insider politics, the review should be four stars. There is a great deal of recounting the politics of the 1948 and 1952 Republican conventions and the vast amount of politicking that occurred prior to both. This makes for some very slow parts through the heart of the book as we are treated to discussions of Dewey and Taft underlings positioning themselves in state Republican organizations. Important stuff, but not good reading. Even the lead characters, Dewey and Taft, are not fleshed out in any way. We get no sense of their personalities and motivations (other than becoming President).

One other fault of the book is that it ends early. Dewey wins in the short term with the victory of Eisenhower in 1952 and in the conclusion we learn that conservatives win in the long term beginning with the Goldwater nomination in 1964. But Goldwater got crushed in the election. If the GOP had stayed where it was in 1964, then perhaps the moderates would have made a comeback. But with the passage of civil rights legislation, and the resultant southern strategy of Nixon, the conservative Republicans were buoyed by the entrance into the party of religious advocates and racist forces dooming moderate Republicanism.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Seth

Smart description of modern conservatism

Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2012

This is a well written and extremely informed book about the early years of the conservative movement and the Republican Party. For those interested in learning why most conservatives are currently part of the GOP, then this book will help you better understand the transformation. Well worth the read.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

ahtrim54

Lofty Title

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2012

This is a painful, pedestrian narrative about a micro history in Republican history, which the author tries to pawn off as the origins of 'modern conservatism'.

One person found this helpful

Helpful