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Book Synopsis

How a notorious far right organization set the Republican Party on a long march toward extremism

At the height of the John Birch Society's activity in the 1960s, critics dismissed its members as a paranoid fringe. After all, "Birchers" believed that a vast communist conspiracy existed in America and posed an existential threat to Christianity, capitalism, and freedom. But as historian Matthew Dallek reveals, the Birch Society's extremism remade American conservatism. Most Birchers were white professionals who were radicalized as growing calls for racial and gender equality appeared to upend American life. Conservative leaders recognized that these affluent voters were needed to win elections, and for decades the GOP courted Birchers and their extremist successors. The far right steadily gained power, finally toppling the Republican establishment and electing Donald Trump.

Birchers is a deeply researched and indispensable new account of the rise of extremism in the United States.

Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized

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    A Hardback by Matthew Dallek

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      Book details

      Publisher Basic Books
      Published 13 April 2023
      ISBN-13 9781541673564
      978-1541673564
      ISBN-10 1541673565
      Also in:
      History History of the Americas Centrist democratic ideologies and movements Right-of-centre democratic ideologies and movements

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      How a notorious far right organization set the Republican Party on a long march toward extremism

      At the height of the John Birch Society's activity in the 1960s, critics dismissed its members as a paranoid fringe. After all, "Birchers" believed that a vast communist conspiracy existed in America and posed an existential threat to Christianity, capitalism, and freedom. But as historian Matthew Dallek reveals, the Birch Society's extremism remade American conservatism. Most Birchers were white professionals who were radicalized as growing calls for racial and gender equality appeared to upend American life. Conservative leaders recognized that these affluent voters were needed to win elections, and for decades the GOP courted Birchers and their extremist successors. The far right steadily gained power, finally toppling the Republican establishment and electing Donald Trump.

      Birchers is a deeply researched and indispensable new account of the rise of extremism in the United States.

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