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The cover of The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump

The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump

Corey Robin

Is conservatism really a defense of tradition and moderation, or has it always been a movement to protect privilege against those below?

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At a glance

Author
Corey Robin

Why read it

  • You will see why inconsistency in a leader can be part of a political tradition, not only a personal flaw
  • You will learn to check a movement's picture of itself as moderate against how it has acted
  • You will understand how conservatism began as a reaction to revolution, and why that origin matters now

Who it is for

  • A voter puzzled by the right's turn to populism
  • A progressive who wants to argue with conservatives accurately
  • A conservative willing to test the roots of their own tradition

Contents

  1. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
  2. The Reactionary Mind
  3. PART 1 Reaction
  4. A Primer
  5. 1 The Private Life of Power
  6. 2 On Counterrevolution
  7. 3 The Soul of Violence
  8. PART 2 Europe’s Old Regimes
  9. 4 The First Counterrevolutionary
  10. 5 Burke’s Market Value
  11. 6 In Nietzsche’s Margins
  12. PART 3 American Vistas
  13. 7 Metaphysics and Chewing Gum
  14. 8 The Prince as Pariah
  15. 9 Remembrance of Empires Past
  16. 10 Affirmative Action Baby
  17. 11 A Show About Nothing

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