Right-Wing Paranoid Blues: The Role of Radicalism in Modern Conservatism

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dc.contributor.advisorYoung, Nancy B.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberZarnow, Leandra R.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberMelosi, Martin V.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberHorne, Gerald
dc.contributor.committeeMemberCunningham, Sean P.
dc.creatorHuntington, John S.
dc.date.accessioned2018-03-01T17:53:43Z
dc.date.available2018-03-01T17:53:43Z
dc.date.createdMay 2016
dc.date.issued2016-05
dc.date.submittedMay 2016
dc.date.updated2018-03-01T17:53:43Z
dc.description.abstractThis study examines the role of radicalism within the conservative movement of the mid-twentieth century United States, specifically by analyzing the strategies and activism of the Radical Right. The onset of the Cold War after World War II created an atmosphere ripe for anti-communism, and it also paved the way for a conservative backlash to liberalism and the mid-century revival of fundamentalist evangelicalism. This zeitgeist of Cold War anti-communism and frustrations with liberalism facilitated the formation of the Radical Right—a loose network of ultraconservative organizations and leaders that used conspiracy theories and grassroots tactics to energize the right-wing base. This dissertation examines multiple groups and individuals within the Radical Right that promoted far-right ideals and functioned as a vocal minority within modern conservatism: Robert W. Welch Jr., and the John Birch Society; Billy James Hargis and the Christian Crusade; Protestants and Other Americans United For the Separation Between Church and State (POAU); Texas cowman-agitator J. Evetts Haley; and Kent Courtney and the Conservative Society of America (CSA). The leadership of these groups mattered because the organizations were often dominated by ideologues that incorrectly conflated liberalism with communism and employed conspiratorial rhetoric to foment political change. The Radical Right found a modest constituency in the Sunbelt; organizational chapters for the John Birch Society and the CSA proliferated in key states like Texas and California. Though far-right activists had limited electoral success, the Radical Right played a role in the ascent of modern conservatism by acting as a foil for, and thereby helping legitimize, mainstream right-wing values.
dc.description.departmentHistory, Department of
dc.format.digitalOriginborn digital
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10657/2644
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsThe author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).
dc.subjectPolitics
dc.subjectUnited States
dc.subjectRadicalism
dc.subjectRadical
dc.subjectConservatism
dc.subjectConservatives
dc.subjectConspiracies
dc.subjectAnti-Communism
dc.subjectRight-Wing
dc.subjectCommunism
dc.subjectCold War
dc.subjectAmerican
dc.subjectRepublican
dc.subjectDemocrat
dc.subjectDemocratic
dc.subjectCourtney, Kent
dc.subjectHaley, Evetts
dc.subjectJohn Birch Society
dc.subjectWelch, Robert
dc.subjectBirch, John
dc.subjectPOAU
dc.subjectProtestants
dc.subjectAmericans United
dc.subjectConservative Society of America
dc.subjectHargis, Billy James
dc.subjectChristian Crusade
dc.subjectSunbelt
dc.subjectTexas
dc.subjectTexans for America
dc.titleRight-Wing Paranoid Blues: The Role of Radicalism in Modern Conservatism
dc.type.dcmiText
dc.type.genreThesis
thesis.degree.collegeCollege of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
thesis.degree.departmentHistory, Department of
thesis.degree.disciplineHistory
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Houston
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy

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