Conservative at the Core: A New History of American Conservatism

Conservative at the Core unpacks the history, rhetoric, and policies of the American conservative movement and probes the truth about what conservatism actually represents.

Allan J. Lichtman investigates the foundations and history of conservative thought to identify and reveal the central crisis that lies at the heart of conservative principles and today's politics. He explores a century of American conservative politics to demonstrate that professed conservative principles--free enterprise, limited government, fiscal responsibility, states' rights, law and order, personal morality, and American sovereignty--are dispensable notions for public appeal only. Instead, conservatives have only consistently advanced their version of traditional Christian values and support for private (not free) enterprise.

Lichtman provides a sweeping history of the American conservative movement from the end of World War I to the present day. He draws on leaders like Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Donald J. Trump, and the conservative Democrats responsible for Jim Crow discrimination in the South. Contrary to those who have described Trump as a deviation from professed core principles, Conservative at the Core ultimately argues that Trump and his allies represent the culmination of the American conservative tradition, consistently upholding and fulfilling conservative nationalist values.

Author: Allan J. Lichtman
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press
Published: 09/01/2025
Pages: 376
Weight: 1.62lbs
Size: 9.22h x 6.31w x 1.16d
ISBN: 9780268210304


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 07/01/2025 pg. 66

About the Author

Allan J. Lichtman is distinguished professor of history at American University. He is the author or co-author of thirteen books, including Thirteen Cracks: Repairing American Democracy after Trump.