Late in life, William F. Buckley made a confession. Capitalism is “boring,” he told me. “Devoting your life to it,” as conservatives do, “is horrifying if only because it’s so repetitious. It’s like sex.” Since that conversation nearly 20 years ago, I’ve been asking what is conservatism and what’s at stake for its proponents. This book is my answer. From the French Revolution to Donald Trump, conservatism has been a reactionary movement, a defense of power and privilege against democratic challenges from below, particularly in the private spheres of the family and the workplace. Praise for the second edition “…probably the most acclaimed recent book on conservatism.” —The Guardian “It remains a keen and necessary book, one that informs our […]