A conspiratorial life : Robert Welch, the John Birch Society, and the revolution of American conservatism /

"This biography of Robert Welch, the founder of the John Birch Society, documents how his idiosyncratic philosophizing infused right-wing politics in America. Edward H. Miller explores every aspect of Welch, detailing his youthful egotism; his innovations in candy-making; his mix of brilliance...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Miller, Edward H. (Edward Herbert) (Author)
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2021.
Subjects:
Description
Summary:"This biography of Robert Welch, the founder of the John Birch Society, documents how his idiosyncratic philosophizing infused right-wing politics in America. Edward H. Miller explores every aspect of Welch, detailing his youthful egotism; his innovations in candy-making; his mix of brilliance and incompetence; and the development of his raging political beliefs. The John Birch Society was long seen as occupying the farthest reaches of the political spectrum, blending paleo-conservatism, libertarianism, paranoia, and rabid anti-Communism. Miller demonstrates how the Society became central to Republican grassroots operations and how Welch became a guiding light of the right, on a par with William F. Buckley"--
Physical Description:456 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (black and white) ; 24 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:9780226448862
022644886X