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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 represents the culmination of the American conservative tradition, consistently upholding and fulfilling conservative nationalist values.
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 represents the culmination of the American conservative tradition, consistently upholding and fulfilling conservative nationalist values.
376 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2025
9 people are currently reading
1673 people want to read
About the author
Allan J. Lichtman
18 books108 followersAllan J. Lichtman is Distinguished Professor of History at The American University in Washington, D.C. and the author of many acclaimed books on U.S. political history, including White Protestant Nation: The Rise of the American Conservative Movement (finalist, 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award in Non-fiction), FDR and the Jews (with Richard Breitman), and The Case for Impeachment.
Professor Lichtman devised a model (“Keys to the White House”) with Vladimir Keilis-Borok to predict the outcome of US presidential elections; said model has been correct since 1984. He is regularly sought out by the media for his authoritative views on voting and elections.
Professor Lichtman devised a model (“Keys to the White House”) with Vladimir Keilis-Borok to predict the outcome of US presidential elections; said model has been correct since 1984. He is regularly sought out by the media for his authoritative views on voting and elections.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 16, 2026
Disclaimer: Sincerest apologies for having to get political here. Goodreads is my social-media platform of choice in part because it is one of the last online forums folks of different political ideologies (or none at all) can meet on common ground and celebrate their shared passions for literature and pop culture. I will use this space to review Conservative at the Core while resisting to the fullest extent possible the impulse to soapbox.
For a decade now, liberals -- myself included -- have wrestled to no satisfaction with the enigma of how conservatives could support, so ardently and faithfully, a political opportunist whose history (personal, professional, legal, marital), behavior, rhetoric, naked self-interest, reflexive prevarication, and rapacious worldview seem altogether antithetical to everything they profess to hold sacrosanct.
In his meticulously researched, impeccably structured, dispassionately evinced treatise, Lichtman demonstrates that the twin pillars of American conservatism, Christian nationalism and private enterprise, have remained steadfastly consistent for a century -- "Virtually everything liberals and a few maverick conservatives find objectionable about Trump is consistent with the precedents set within modern American conservatism since the 1920s," he writes -- and that all other professed "principles," from law and order to small government to states' rights to fiscal austerity, are nothing more than useful (and entirely discretionary) means to those ends.
Damn right it is. Arguably even more so in his second term now that Trump has gone unapologetically all-in on white nationalism and imperialism (this despite his explicit campaign promises not to be the World Police), to say nothing of looking his constituents in the eye and insisting his economy is "A+++++" in flagrant contradiction with what their bank statements tell them.
The fact that Trump didn't bring down the cost of Froot Loops on Day One is the least of his economic offenses (because, ya know, presidents don't set prices; private enterprise does); I'm far more concerned with the way his policies are fortifying the current economic transition from late-stage capitalism to full-blown technofeudalism, the ramifications of which could reverberate through the remainder of this century.
But on the subject overpriced Froot Loops, because that isn't an economic theory or conceptual abstraction like technofeudalism, are none of his voters bothered by the fact that Trump is $4 billion wealthier than he was this time last year? By that metric, I guess it is unambiguously an A+++++ economy. My bad! (I mean, I'm no fan of Stephen K. Bannon, and this should not be interpreted as an endorsement of his views, but at least he expresses skepticism and occasionally even criticism of the broligarchy to which Trump is in thrall.)
Authoritarian governments tell you what to do; totalitarian governments tell you how to think. One cannot consider the premature, predecided White House response to the events in Minneapolis last week and argue the country isn't sliding toward totalitarianism. (Good grief, the irony of Trump invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807...)
Look, I have many, many good-faith conservative friends and relatives who simply don't support the same Democratic policies and progressive ideologies as this bleeding-heart democratic eco-socialist. I get it. And I'm not out to change anyone's views or values. But I wish I knew how to persuade my conservative friends that, their dislike of and/or distaste for Democratic policies aside, to continue to support this Republican Party is to vote in favor of abolishing a government that has provided them with Medicare and Social Security, that has supported their unions and their pensions, that has given them the protection of due process under the law, that has maintained both national and global security through soft-power enforcement of the rules-based order.
Conservative at the Core supplied satisfactory rationales for many of the questions about conservatives I've harbored for ages, but it doesn't offer an answer for why so many Americans are willing to let -- even gleeful to watch -- Trump drive the country over a cliff. If we survive this administration -- and I by no means take for granted that we will -- and assuming (perhaps quixotically) the leadership that succeeds it will be comprised of honorable public servants committed to the Constitution with political courage and moral imagination (regardless of party), I still can't imagine America's reputation will fully recover within my lifetime. Is "owning the libs" really worth selling out democracy?
I recommend this book for liberals looking to understand (intellectually, not emotionally, because Lichtman doesn't stoke outrage) why conservatives continue to support Trump. And I recommend it to conservatives willing to stress-test their worldview, and certainly their loyalty to DJT. Given that as of this date, however, a meager eleven users have rated and/or reviewed the book, I don't hold out much hope Lichtman will move the needle. But it was worth trying. Preserving democracy is always worth the effort, never more so than when it is actively imperiled.
For a decade now, liberals -- myself included -- have wrestled to no satisfaction with the enigma of how conservatives could support, so ardently and faithfully, a political opportunist whose history (personal, professional, legal, marital), behavior, rhetoric, naked self-interest, reflexive prevarication, and rapacious worldview seem altogether antithetical to everything they profess to hold sacrosanct.
In his meticulously researched, impeccably structured, dispassionately evinced treatise, Lichtman demonstrates that the twin pillars of American conservatism, Christian nationalism and private enterprise, have remained steadfastly consistent for a century -- "Virtually everything liberals and a few maverick conservatives find objectionable about Trump is consistent with the precedents set within modern American conservatism since the 1920s," he writes -- and that all other professed "principles," from law and order to small government to states' rights to fiscal austerity, are nothing more than useful (and entirely discretionary) means to those ends.
Since the 1920s, conservatives have effectively mobilized their base while marginalizing the opposition by emphasizing an "us versus them" narrative: Christians versus Jews, whites versus Blacks, immigrants versus natives, men versus women, straight versus gay, and binary versus nonbinary gender. Beyond policy matters such as spending, taxation, regulation, infrastructure, health care, or welfare, cultural challenges have posed an existential threat to conservatives' vision of right and wrong and the country they hold dear. . . .
As president, Trump continued to represent the American conservative tradition faithfully. He appointed federal judges who upheld the agenda of protecting private enterprise and the Right's version of white Christian values. His singular legislative accomplishment was a tax cut that benefited the rich and corporations. He used his executive powers to crack down on immigration from the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America and to dismantle regulations on the environment, transportation safety, banking safeguards, and civil rights. Nothing that Trump said or did as president would have shocked or surprised a conservative of the 1920s. . . .
Trump's relentless pursuit of power, irrespective of the means or implications for democracy, is rooted in a conservative belief that liberal opponents are not simply wrong on issues, but fundamentally sinful, un-American, and detrimental to the values that have historically made the nation great. This "us versus them" mentality, viewing opponents as alien and illegitimate, is not unique to Trump. As explained by Joanne B. Freeman, a professor of American history and American studies at Yale University, "The [Republican] party's unity is the problem, its shared focus on ends (uncontested rule) over means (democratic practices). Norms and rules be damned, they feel entitled to maintaining power. This isn't democracy. It's the heartbeat of authoritarianism."
Damn right it is. Arguably even more so in his second term now that Trump has gone unapologetically all-in on white nationalism and imperialism (this despite his explicit campaign promises not to be the World Police), to say nothing of looking his constituents in the eye and insisting his economy is "A+++++" in flagrant contradiction with what their bank statements tell them.
The fact that Trump didn't bring down the cost of Froot Loops on Day One is the least of his economic offenses (because, ya know, presidents don't set prices; private enterprise does); I'm far more concerned with the way his policies are fortifying the current economic transition from late-stage capitalism to full-blown technofeudalism, the ramifications of which could reverberate through the remainder of this century.
But on the subject overpriced Froot Loops, because that isn't an economic theory or conceptual abstraction like technofeudalism, are none of his voters bothered by the fact that Trump is $4 billion wealthier than he was this time last year? By that metric, I guess it is unambiguously an A+++++ economy. My bad! (I mean, I'm no fan of Stephen K. Bannon, and this should not be interpreted as an endorsement of his views, but at least he expresses skepticism and occasionally even criticism of the broligarchy to which Trump is in thrall.)
Authoritarian governments tell you what to do; totalitarian governments tell you how to think. One cannot consider the premature, predecided White House response to the events in Minneapolis last week and argue the country isn't sliding toward totalitarianism. (Good grief, the irony of Trump invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807...)
Look, I have many, many good-faith conservative friends and relatives who simply don't support the same Democratic policies and progressive ideologies as this bleeding-heart democratic eco-socialist. I get it. And I'm not out to change anyone's views or values. But I wish I knew how to persuade my conservative friends that, their dislike of and/or distaste for Democratic policies aside, to continue to support this Republican Party is to vote in favor of abolishing a government that has provided them with Medicare and Social Security, that has supported their unions and their pensions, that has given them the protection of due process under the law, that has maintained both national and global security through soft-power enforcement of the rules-based order.
Under Trump -- and long before -- conservatives have engaged in a struggle for control over public life in the United States against a liberal tradition they have seen as evil, un-American, and corrosive of the institutions and traditions that made the nation great. The Left, too, has scorned the opposition as a danger to the United States, particularly in the Trump era. However, since the 1930s, conservatives have done so with particular force and conviction. Conservatives have conjured up the phantasma of liberals who threaten the traditions that sustained our civilization with their pluralistic values, their program of social engineering, and their trampling on the moral teachings of religion. Conservatives had to stay disciplined, mobilize their resources, and wage total war against liberals by any means available, with unconditional surrender as the only acceptable result.
Conservative at the Core supplied satisfactory rationales for many of the questions about conservatives I've harbored for ages, but it doesn't offer an answer for why so many Americans are willing to let -- even gleeful to watch -- Trump drive the country over a cliff. If we survive this administration -- and I by no means take for granted that we will -- and assuming (perhaps quixotically) the leadership that succeeds it will be comprised of honorable public servants committed to the Constitution with political courage and moral imagination (regardless of party), I still can't imagine America's reputation will fully recover within my lifetime. Is "owning the libs" really worth selling out democracy?
I recommend this book for liberals looking to understand (intellectually, not emotionally, because Lichtman doesn't stoke outrage) why conservatives continue to support Trump. And I recommend it to conservatives willing to stress-test their worldview, and certainly their loyalty to DJT. Given that as of this date, however, a meager eleven users have rated and/or reviewed the book, I don't hold out much hope Lichtman will move the needle. But it was worth trying. Preserving democracy is always worth the effort, never more so than when it is actively imperiled.
September 4, 2025
a good but undeniably partisan book (Lichtman makes no bones about where he's coming from politically, not so much in here as elsewhere). To his credit, there's almost no discussion of liberalism in here at all except as a foil for the "conservative core" - in other words, the focus is entirely on conservatism - but he did concede during this interview with me that a "liberal at the core" book could be written (just not by him):
https://oliverbatemandoesthework.subs...
https://oliverbatemandoesthework.subs...
June 21, 2025
Book Review: Conservative at the Core: A New History of American Conservatism by Allan J. Lichtman
As a female sociologist and public health professional, I approached Lichtman’s Conservative at the Core with keen interest in its deconstruction of ideological rhetoric versus policy realities. The book’s central thesis—that American conservatism has consistently prioritized Christian traditionalism and corporate interests over its professed principles—provoked both intellectual admiration and sobering reflection on how such contradictions perpetuate structural inequities, particularly for marginalized groups.
Critical Engagement and Emotional Resonance
Lichtman’s century-spanning analysis skillfully exposes the movement’s tactical flexibility, revealing how “free enterprise” and “law and order” often serve as veneers for exclusionary agendas. As a sociologist, I appreciated his intersectional framing of conservative Democrats’ role in Jim Crow, which underscores how racial hierarchies have been weaponized under the guise of states’ rights—a pattern echoing in contemporary voter suppression and healthcare disparities. His argument that Trump epitomizes (rather than disrupts) conservative tradition challenged my initial assumptions, though I questioned whether the book adequately grapples with the gender dimensions of this continuity (e.g., attacks on reproductive rights as a throughline from Reagan to Trump).
The narrative’s clinical tone occasionally muted the human cost of these policies. As a public health leader, I longed for more explicit discussion of how conservative governance has shaped health outcomes—e.g., resistance to Medicaid expansion or pandemic denialism—tying ideological shifts to tangible suffering. Lichtman’s focus on elite actors also risks obscuring grassroots conservative movements (e.g., anti-CRT campaigns), which merit sociological scrutiny as cultural battlegrounds.
Constructive Criticism
-Intersectional Gaps: While race and class are addressed, the analysis would benefit from deeper engagement with how conservatism has regulated gender/sexuality (e.g., Hyde Amendment, trans healthcare bans) and disability rights.
-Public Health Lens: The book misses opportunities to link conservative policies to health inequities (e.g., opioid crisis deregulation, maternal mortality).
-Grassroots Dynamics: A bottom-up examination of how conservative rhetoric mobilizes (or fractures) communities could complement the top-down leadership focus.
Why This Book Matters
Conservative at the Core is a vital corrective to romanticized narratives of conservative ideology. For sociologists, it models how to trace ideological dissonance across institutions; for public health professionals, it underscores the need to politicize health advocacy in response to regressive governance. Lichtman’s evidence-rich approach makes his conclusions inarguably compelling, if occasionally narrow in scope.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the free review copy. This book is an unflinching mirror held up to American politics—one that demands readers reckon with uncomfortable truths.
Reviewer’s Note: Pair with Democracy in Chains (MacLean) for neoliberal parallels or The Sum of Us (McGhee) for health/equity implications. A rigorous, if selective, historiography.
As a female sociologist and public health professional, I approached Lichtman’s Conservative at the Core with keen interest in its deconstruction of ideological rhetoric versus policy realities. The book’s central thesis—that American conservatism has consistently prioritized Christian traditionalism and corporate interests over its professed principles—provoked both intellectual admiration and sobering reflection on how such contradictions perpetuate structural inequities, particularly for marginalized groups.
Critical Engagement and Emotional Resonance
Lichtman’s century-spanning analysis skillfully exposes the movement’s tactical flexibility, revealing how “free enterprise” and “law and order” often serve as veneers for exclusionary agendas. As a sociologist, I appreciated his intersectional framing of conservative Democrats’ role in Jim Crow, which underscores how racial hierarchies have been weaponized under the guise of states’ rights—a pattern echoing in contemporary voter suppression and healthcare disparities. His argument that Trump epitomizes (rather than disrupts) conservative tradition challenged my initial assumptions, though I questioned whether the book adequately grapples with the gender dimensions of this continuity (e.g., attacks on reproductive rights as a throughline from Reagan to Trump).
The narrative’s clinical tone occasionally muted the human cost of these policies. As a public health leader, I longed for more explicit discussion of how conservative governance has shaped health outcomes—e.g., resistance to Medicaid expansion or pandemic denialism—tying ideological shifts to tangible suffering. Lichtman’s focus on elite actors also risks obscuring grassroots conservative movements (e.g., anti-CRT campaigns), which merit sociological scrutiny as cultural battlegrounds.
Constructive Criticism
-Intersectional Gaps: While race and class are addressed, the analysis would benefit from deeper engagement with how conservatism has regulated gender/sexuality (e.g., Hyde Amendment, trans healthcare bans) and disability rights.
-Public Health Lens: The book misses opportunities to link conservative policies to health inequities (e.g., opioid crisis deregulation, maternal mortality).
-Grassroots Dynamics: A bottom-up examination of how conservative rhetoric mobilizes (or fractures) communities could complement the top-down leadership focus.
Why This Book Matters
Conservative at the Core is a vital corrective to romanticized narratives of conservative ideology. For sociologists, it models how to trace ideological dissonance across institutions; for public health professionals, it underscores the need to politicize health advocacy in response to regressive governance. Lichtman’s evidence-rich approach makes his conclusions inarguably compelling, if occasionally narrow in scope.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the free review copy. This book is an unflinching mirror held up to American politics—one that demands readers reckon with uncomfortable truths.
Reviewer’s Note: Pair with Democracy in Chains (MacLean) for neoliberal parallels or The Sum of Us (McGhee) for health/equity implications. A rigorous, if selective, historiography.
August 15, 2025
The book Conservative at the Core by Allan J. Lichtman at first felt overwhelming because of all the names, dates, and political moments. As I kept reading, I realized that all these details painted a vivid, detailed picture of how conservative ideals have evolved so much. What surprised me most was how these historical moments depict a list of long patterns that are still evident in today’s world. The author did an amazing job with identifying these important figures alongside their actions to support his claim. I honestly found the reading very insightful and eye opening. It made me aware of historical patterns and how it can a repeating itself today. Definitely recommend it and by the end of the reading, the reader will learn about American Conservatism and how it has been shaped and redefined over time.
March 24, 2025
American history is an episodic story of conflicting liberal and conservative viewpoints, ideas, and policies. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established a liberal vision of government, society, and the citizen in the 1930s. It has lasted in some form into the twentieth-first century. How has conservatism fared during this time? The author of this book is a distinguished professor of history at American University who has written extensively on America’s social and political history. This is his interpretation of the modern American conservative movement. Each chapter of this new book intensively examines a traditional conservative value, such as individualism, personal responsibility, free enterprise, and limited government. Chapter One is a particularly good summary of conservatism’s core values. Lichtman wants to identify what he labels the “real essence” of American conservatism. This includes examining the many contradictory stances adopted on occasion by American conservatives. The final chapter examines in some depth the question whether Donald Trump qualifies as a true conservative. Lichtman is also well known for an election forecasting system presented in his earlier books. This forecasting scheme accurately predicted most of the presidential election results since 1984. Highly recommended for those interested in American history and political affairs.
December 31, 2025
The Less I Know, The Better
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