Starting in the mid-1930s, a handful of prominent American businessmen forged alliances with the aim of rescuing America—and their profit margins—from socialism and the "nanny state." Long before the "culture wars" usually associated with the rise of conservative politics, these driven individuals funded think tanks, fought labor unions, and formed organizations to market their views. These nearly unknown, larger-than-life, and sometimes eccentric personalities—such as General Electric's zealous, silver-tongued Lemuel Ricketts Boulware and the self-described "revolutionary" Jasper Crane of DuPont—make for a fascinating, behind-the-scenes view of American history. The winner of a prestigious academic award for her original research on this book, Kim Phillips-Fein is already being heralded as an important new young American historian. Her meticulous research and narrative gifts reveal the dramatic story of a pragmatic, step-by-step, check-by-check campaign to promote an ideological revolution—one that ultimately helped propel conservative ideas to electoral triumph.
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"Literally the best book of this type I have ever read." — Colin (5 out of 5 stars)
"Literally the best book of this type I have ever read."
Engaging history from a talented new scholarly voice.
“Combining piquant profiles of corporate firebrands with a trenchant historical analysis …Phillips-Fein makes an important contribution to our understanding of American conservatism.”
“A valuable addition to the history of conservatism.”
" Hundreds of page later did the author despise or love these guys ? He seems to find moral equivalency between all of these guys even though there is a difference between an evangelical Chrisitan and a Wall Street businessman. "
Kimberly Phillips-Fein is the author of Fear City and Invisible Hands. She teaches history at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study and has written for the Nation, Dissent, the Baffler, the Atlantic, and the New York Times, among other publications.
Lorna Raver, named one of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voices of the Year, has received numerous Audie Award nominations and many AudioFile Earphones Awards. She has appeared on stage in New York, Los Angeles, and regional theaters around the country. Among her many television credits are NYPD Blue, Judging Amy, Boston Legal, ER, and Star Trek. She starred in director Sam Raimi’s film Drag Me to Hell.
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