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 | | The Conscience of a Conservative (The James Madison Library in American Politics) by Barry M. Goldwater, George F. Will (Foreword), Robert F., Jr. Kennedy (Afterword), CC Goldwater (Editor), Sean Wilentz (Introduction) ISBN-10: 9780691131177 ISBN-10: 0-691-13117-1 ISBN-13: 9780691131177 ISBN-13: 978-0-691-13117-7 Paperback 2007-04-03 Princeton University Press Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description In 1960, Barry Goldwater set forth his brief manifesto in The Conscience of a Conservative. Written at the height of the Cold War and in the wake of America's greatest experiment with big government, the New Deal, Goldwater's message was not only remarkable, but radical. He argued for the value and importance of conservative principles--freedom, foremost among them--in contemporary political life. Using the principles he espoused in this concise but powerful book, Goldwater fundamentally altered the political landscape of his day--and ours. | ||
Reviews | ||
What a Classic This is such a great read. It really rings true even decades after it was published. If you would like a similar view that is more applicable to the problems we are facing today read The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul. | ||
A look from the other side. I must first make clear that I am NOT any type of conservative by any stretch of the imagination. However, even as I do come from another time(i'm currently in my early twenties) and another position i do believe that i can fairly and objectively review this artifact of political history. Having an interest in writers like Allan Bloom(Closing of the American Mind) and Saul Bellow(and generally the U. of Chicago/historical neoconservative crowd), a older retired friend of mine suggested I take up a reading of classic conservative literature to gain perspective. I must admit, I was born into liberal perspective(born into a vegetarian interacial non-religious family does that to you), so i've always had to do a bit of work of understanding the other side. So here it goes... I must admit being impressed with the lucid nature of the arguementation and reasoning, along with the strong will and character that Mr. Goldwater worked to present in facing the troubles of the time he was writing. While some of the arguements come off as quite antiquated(such as the "states rights" position on segragation), others are quite timely. What really struck me was the question of whether or not today Mr. Goldwaters positions would fly with the modern republican party. I'm a political junkie and I rarely hear a arguement for the rights of states anymore. I can't imagine a modern politican citing Aristotle either. I can go as far as to say, there are things he's says that I like the position of, but today I can't imagine that the republican party today would have much of anything to do with them. It's interesting to me to consider where American politics might be today if the conservative political arena had kept a clear libertarian tone and not moved toward the often bizzare culture war idenity movement it seems to have metamorphasized into today. Overall the tone is easy to read, and moves along quite rapidly. I enjoyed alot of the writing on facing the Soviet Union. The SU came tumbling down when I was in kindergarden, so its a mindset that almost no one in my generation has a clear working memory of. So besides the historical, I liked that he had a clear moral sense that didn't reek of vanity and stubborness, but more of someone who refused to water down a platform of opposition to the cruelty of Statlinism. | ||
Manifesto of the Modern-Day Conservative Movement Barry Goldwater's "The Conscience of a Conservative" was one of the seminal manifestos of the modern-day conservative movement, defining conservative positions in both economic policy and foreign policy. It was published in 1960, when, just as today, many conservatives seemed ashamed to identify themselves as such. Reading this book will give conservatives a sense their movement's roots and the ideological confidence that comes with knowing that their ideas have a long and distinguished pedigree. I sometimes wonder how America would be different today if Goldwater had beaten Johnson in 1964 and the ideas in this book, not those of the Great Society, had been implemented. | ||
Clear and to the point This book is clear and to the point. Mr. Goldwater doesn't waste any time laying it all out on the line about what true conservatism is. My wife and I are adding it to our home school library of required additional reading. | ||
Conservatism Being a conservative is something a person should be proud of. It gives you a perspective of one's ideology. The way our media and our universities are indoctrinating our society is scary. The only way to counteract this marxist point of view is to be informed and this book will actually make you think. | ||