Taking America Back cover art

Taking America Back

The Conservative Movement and the Far Right

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Taking America Back

By: David Austin Walsh
Narrated by: Peter Lerman
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $27.99

Buy Now for $27.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

A provocative look at the relationship between the far right and the American conservative movement from the 1930s to the end of the Cold War.

As David Austin Walsh shows, the mainstream conservative movement and the far right have been intertwined for nearly a century, and both were born out of a “right-wing popular front” linking racists, anti-Semites, and fascists in a broad coalition opposed to socialism, communism, and New Deal liberalism.

Far from being outliers in the broader conservative coalition, these extremist elements were foundational in the creation of a rightwing political culture centered around shared political enemies, a penchant for conspiracy theories, and a desire to restore America to its “authentic” pre–New Deal values.

The popular front included the original “America First” movement, the John Birch Society, the American Nazi Party, the George Wallace presidential campaign of 1968, and the fight over the National Endowment for the Humanities. And connecting this disparate coalition was William F. Buckley, Jr., the editor of National Review and America’s leading “responsible conservative.'

The book is published Yale University Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

©2024 David Austin Walsh (P)2024 Redwood Audiobooks
20th Century Politics & Government

Critic Reviews

“One of the most important studies that we have not just of modern conservatism but of twentieth-century American political culture.” (Lawrence B. Glickman, author of Free Enterprise)

“A masterful unearthing of the deep connection between America’s Far right ‘lunatic fringe’ and ‘respectable conservatism...” (Hasia Diner, New York University)

“With impeccable research and measured prose, Walsh unearths a twentieth-century history of conservatism tied to the extremes of far-right politics..” (Lila Corwin Berman, author of The American Jewish Philanthropic Complex)

What listeners say about Taking America Back

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.