
Birchers
How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right
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Narrated by:
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Donald Corren
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By:
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Matthew Dallek
How a notorious far right organization set the Republican Party on a long march toward extremism
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.
Birchers is a deeply researched and indispensable new account of the rise of extremism in the United States.
©2023 Matthew Dallek (P)2023 Basic BooksListeners also enjoyed...




















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Fascinating
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The delivery is like listening for hours to a lecturer discussing an important but dry episode of history which at times made me want to skip a few chapters or even put the book down, but I’m glad I didn’t. I just hope the arc of Bircherism ends in 2024.
The Progenitor of the MAGA Movement
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Many recognizable ideas, even word for word arguments and slogans, that dot our current political media landscape are unpacked here from their genesis. Fascinating, if morbid.
Easy to understand, interesting in both tone and content, and well read, this book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the subject.
Everything old is new again.
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The Missing Link
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Excellent popular history
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My father was a Bircher.
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Good tie in to current politics
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Fallen connects the dots from the Birchers’ beginnings to the frightening radical right of today.
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Well crafted but needed more research
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Terrible
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