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Birchers : how the John Birch Society radicalized the American right / Matthew Dallek.

by Dallek, Matthew, 1969- author.

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New York : Basic Books, 2023.

Welch, Robert, 1899-1985.

John Birch Society -- History.

Conservatism -- United States -- History.

Right-wing extremists -- United States -- History.

Radicalism -- United States.

Political culture -- United States.

United States -- Politics and government.

9781541673564 (hardcover) :

1541673565 (hardcover) :

vii, 370 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Introduction -- "God's angry men" -- "Some rather frightening aspects" -- Witch hunt -- Shock troops -- "A dirty war" -- Birch watchers -- "Little old ladies in tennis shoes" -- Fringe -- Succession -- Crack-up -- Takeover -- Radicalization -- Conclusion.

"At the height of the John Birch Society's activity in the 1960s, critics dismissed its members as a paranoid fringe. After all, "Birchers" believed that a vast communist conspiracy existed in America and posed an existential threat to Christianity, capitalism, and freedom. But as historian Matthew Dallek reveals, the Birch Society's extremism remade American conservatism. Most Birchers were white professionals who were radicalized as growing calls for racial and gender equality appeared to upend American life. Conservative leaders recognized that these affluent voters were needed to win elections, and for decades the GOP courted Birchers and their extremist successors. The far right steadily gained power, finally toppling the Republican establishment and electing Donald Trump."-- Amazon.

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