Skip to Main Content

Right Moves: The Conservative Think Tank in American Political Culture since 1945

Online ISBN:
9781469627885
Print ISBN:
9781469627861
Publisher:
University of North Carolina Press
Book

Right Moves: The Conservative Think Tank in American Political Culture since 1945

Published:
25 April 2016
Online ISBN:
9781469627885
Print ISBN:
9781469627861
Publisher:
University of North Carolina Press

Abstract

From the middle of the twentieth century, think tanks have played an indelible role in the rise of American conservatism. Positioning themselves against the alleged liberal bias of the media, academia, and the federal bureaucracy, conservative think tanks gained the attention of politicians and the public alike and were instrumental in promulgating conservative ideas. Yet, in spite of their formative influence on media and public opinion, little has been written on the history of these institutions. Right Moves is the first sustained investigation of the rise and historical development of the conservative think tank as a source of political and cultural power in the United States. What we now know as conservative think tanks--research and public relations institutions populated by conservative intellectuals--emerged in the postwar period as places for theorizing and “selling” public policies and ideologies to both lawmakers and the public at large. Right Moves traces the progression of think tanks from their outsider status in a world of New Deal and Great Society liberalism to their current prominence as a counterweight to progressive political institutions and thought in a “marketplace of ideas.” By examining the rise of the conservative think tank, Right Moves makes invaluable contributions to our historical understanding of conservatism, public policy formation, and capitalism.

Contents
Close
This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

Close

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

View Article Abstract & Purchase Options

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

Close