Conservative Thinkers: From John Adams to Winston Churchill - Softcover

Viereck, Peter

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9781412805261: Conservative Thinkers: From John Adams to Winston Churchill
Softcover
ISBN 10: 1412805260 ISBN 13: 9781412805261
Publisher: Routledge, 2005

Synopsis

Across America today, conservatism is being hotly debated both across the political spectrum and within the conservative movement itself. Much of the public debate is without definition or historical context. This history of conservatism by renowned historian, social critic, and poet Peter Viereck aims to meet the need for a concise, balanced picture of conservative thought in all its different shadings and cultural contexts.

The analytical portion of the book provides a succinct but thorough critical overview of conservatism's most representative figures. Viereck begins with chapters defining conservatism itself, its special technical terms, and its changing historical circumstances. The rest deals with its actual thinkers and statesmen. After each main conservative thesis, the anti-conservative rebuttal is summarized, and the reader is allowed to reach his own conclusions. Though the first stress is on conservative political philosophy (from John Adams to Churchill), key sections also stress non-political conservatism: in religion (Cardinal Newman) and in the primarily cultural protest against material progress (Coleridge, Dostoyevsky, Melville, Henry Adams).

Every major point is concretely illustrated by an appended cross-reference to a primary source in the second half, a well-chosen anthology of key conservative documents. Criteria for inclusion are three, representativeness, depth of perception, importance of influence. The result is not uniformity but a gamut: from extreme intolerant reaction to an evolutionary moderate spirit. The former passes imperceptibly into authoritarianism; the latter, into liberalism.

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About the Author

Peter Viereck

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
Routledge
Publication date
2005
Language
English
ISBN 10 
1412805260
ISBN 13 
9781412805261
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
196
Rating
  • 4.40 out of 5 stars
    20 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781138521094: Conservative Thinkers: From John Adams to Winston Churchill

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  1138521094 ISBN 13:  9781138521094
Publisher: Routledge, 2017
Hardcover