The Conscience of a Conservative

Book by Barry Goldwater

The Conscience of a Conservative

Cover of the first edition

Author| Barry Goldwater (nominal)
L. Brent Bozell Jr. (ghostwriter)
Subject| Politics, American conservatism
Publisher| Victor Publishing Co. [name used by Frank E. Simon, manager of the real publisher, viz., Publishers Printing Company, Shepardsville, Ky]

Publication date

| 1960
Media type| Print
Pages| 123
OCLC| 1002492

The Conscience of a Conservative is a 1960 book published under the name of Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater who was the 1964 Republican presidential candidate. It revived the American conservative movement, made Goldwater a political star, and has influenced countless conservatives in the United States, helping to lay the foundation for the Reagan Revolution of the 1980s.[1]

The book was ghostwritten by L. Brent Bozell Jr., brother-in-law of William F. Buckley Jr.[1][2] Bozell and Buckley had been members of Yale's debate team. They had co-authored the controversial book, McCarthy and His Enemies, in 1955. Bozell had been Goldwater's speechwriter in the 1950s, and was familiar with many of his ideals.

## Contents

* 1 Content
* 2 Later editions
* 3 Namesake books
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## Content[edit]

The 123-page book covers such topics as education, labor unions and policies, civil rights, agricultural policy and farm subsidies, social welfare programs, and income taxation. The book is considered to be a significant statement of politically and economically American conservative ideas which were to gain influence during the following decades.[1]

In his book, Goldwater states explicitly that there are "laws of God" and "truths of God" which inform his concept of 'conservatism' and under which the US should operate.[3]

## Later editions[edit]

A half-century edition, edited by C.C. Goldwater (his granddaughter), with a foreword by George Will, and an afterword by Robert F. Kennedy Jr, was published by the Princeton University Press in 2007.

## Namesake books[edit]

The book, and its title, continue to inspire contemporary political commentary.

* Mayer Schiller (1978), The (Guilty) Conscience of a Conservative
* In 2007, Paul Krugman entitled his own book The Conscience of a Liberal, saying in the introduction that he wanted his work to stand as a counterpoint to Goldwater's.[4]
* Zell Miller (2003), A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat
* Wayne Allyn Root (2009), The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution with God, Guns, Gambling & Tax Cuts.
* Gary Chartier (2011), The Conscience of an Anarchist: Why It's Time to Say Good-Bye to the State and Build a Free Society
* Jeff Flake (2017), Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c Frohnen, Bruce (2006). American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia. Wilmington: Intercollegiate Studies Institute. pp. 179–80. ISBN 1-932236-43-0.
2. ^ Hemmer, Nicole (2016). "Chapter 10: The Compromise". Messengers of the Right : conservative media and the transformation of American politics. Philadelphia. ISBN 978-0-8122-4839-5. OCLC 945028632.
3. ^ Goldwater, Barry (1960). The Conscience of a Conservative. Victor Publishing Co.
4. ^ Krugman, Paul (2007). The Conscience of a Liberal. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 0-393-06069-1.

## External links[edit]

* Full text: The Conscience of a Conservative

* v
* t
* e

Barry Goldwater

Political career|

* Electoral history of Barry Goldwater
* Alaska Mental Health Enabling Act
* Goldwater v. Carter
* Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984
* Goldwater–Nichols Act

Elections|

* 1952
* 1958
* 1964 presidential campaign
* 1964 Republican National Convention
* 1964 United States presidential election
* 1968
* 1974
* 1980

Family|

* Barry Goldwater Jr. (son)

Other|

* Barry Goldwater statue
* The Conscience of a Conservative
* The Goldwaters (musical group)
* Goldwater v. Ginzburg
* Goldwater rule
* Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
* Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range
* Goldwater Institute

* Category
* Commons

*[OCLC]: Online Computer Library Center number
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