Early Debates in the Conservative Movement

Flashcards based on key concepts and figures discussed in Lecture 11 about early debates within the conservative movement.

Richard Weaver

An influential conservative thinker known for his book 'Ideas Have Consequences' (1948), advocating a more radical conservatism.

Ideas Have Consequences

A key book by Richard Weaver arguing for a radical version of conservatism.

Feudalism

A social system that Weaver believed represented a well-ordered society and was a positive characteristic of the American South.

Edmund Burke

Philosophical model for conservatism that Weaver critiqued as a failure.

Gradual Change

A principle Weaver rejected, arguing it leads to slower failure rather than meaningful progress.

Frank Meyer

A conservative thinker who critiqued Burkeanism, seen by Kirk as an 'ideologue'.

Russell Kirk

A conservative theorist who emphasized Burkean principles, but clashed with Weaver on ideological grounds.

Whitaker Chambers

An anti-communist thinker who criticized the aggressive rhetoric used by some conservatives during the Cold War.

McCarthyism

A political practice that Chambers opposed, which involved anti-communist persecution.

Max Eastman

An atheist who felt alienated from the conservative movement due to its increasing religiosity after abandoning communism.