Up from Liberalism

Up from Liberalism is a 1959 political treatise by the influential conservative writer and commentator William F. Buckley Jr.. The book serves as a polemical critique of modern American liberalism, which Buckley argued had become intellectually bankrupt and dangerously accommodating to communism. Building on the foundation of his earlier work, God and Man at Yale, Buckley articulates a vision for a reinvigorated American conservatism rooted in Judeo-Christian values, free-market principles, and a staunch anti-communist foreign policy. The work solidified Buckley's position as a leading intellectual voice of the post-war Conservative movement in the United States.

Background and publication

The book was written during a period of intense ideological conflict, marked by the height of the Cold War and the expansion of the New Deal consensus under presidents like Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. Buckley, having already established himself through the founding of the magazine National Review in 1955, sought to provide a more systematic and accessible critique of the prevailing liberal orthodoxy. Published by McDowell, Obolensky in 1959, Up from Liberalism emerged as the John F. Kennedy administration was beginning to take shape, offering a direct intellectual challenge to the coming New Frontier. The work was part of a broader effort by thinkers associated with National Review, including James Burnham and Frank Meyer, to define a coherent conservative alternative.

Summary of arguments

Buckley's central thesis is that contemporary liberalism, as practiced by figures like Adlai Stevenson II and institutions such as the American Civil Liberties Union, had abdicated its moral and intellectual responsibilities. He argues that liberals, in their pursuit of egalitarianism and accommodation with the Soviet Union, had undermined individual liberty, traditional values, and national security. Buckley champions a philosophy that synthesizes libertarian economics, derived from thinkers like Friedrich Hayek and Ludwig von Mises, with a traditionalist conservatism that upholds the authority of institutions like the Roman Catholic Church. He devotes significant attention to foreign policy, condemning the Yalta Conference and advocating for a more aggressive stance against global communism, a position influenced by Whittaker Chambers and the lessons of the Alger Hiss case.

Critical reception

Upon its release, the book received sharply divided reviews that largely fell along ideological lines. Liberal publications and intellectuals, such as those writing for The New Republic and The Nation, dismissed it as reactionary and alarmist. However, it was praised within conservative circles as a vital and articulate manifesto. Russell Kirk, author of The Conservative Mind, commended its vigor, while some libertarian critics felt Buckley conceded too much to traditionalist and religious authority. The debate it sparked was covered in major outlets like The New York Times and *Time*, cementing its status as a key text in the ongoing battle of ideas between the American Left and the nascent New Right.

Influence and legacy

Up from Liberalism proved to be profoundly influential in shaping the modern Republican Party and the conservative movement. It provided an intellectual framework that would later be embraced by politicians like Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. The book's arguments against détente and for a strong national defense prefigured the policies of the Reagan Doctrine during the final stages of the Cold War. Furthermore, Buckley's successful fusion of economic and social conservatism helped create a potent political coalition that endured for decades. The work remains a touchstone for understanding the ideological foundations of the Presidency of Ronald Reagan and the continued relevance of publications like National Review and think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation.

See also

* Conservatism in the United States * National Review * The Sharon Statement * A Conflict of Visions * The Conscience of a Conservative * Modern Age (periodical)

Category:1959 non-fiction books Category:American political books Category:Conservative books