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From Obstruction to Moderation: (The Transformation of Senate Conservatism, 1938-1952)
by John W. Malsberger
"John Malsberger has written a study of changing ideology among conservative members of the United States Senate from the second session of the 75th Congress in 1938 through the second session of the 82nd Congress in 1952. His thesis is straightforward: between 1938 and 1952 conservatives in the Senate increasingly split into two camps. One contained what he calls "obstructionists." These were senators who remained strongly anti-New Deal. In his view they retained an image of America as agrarian instead of industrialized and urban. They resisted "expansions of state power as it affected both domestic affairs and international relations."
The second group he labels "new conservatives." He argues that they "generally made peace with the positive state and with American internationalism." They adjusted intellectually to the necessity of increased state power generated by the Great Depression and World War II.
To provide evidence for his thesis, he makes extensive use of public documents, newspapers and magazines, and manuscript collections of major conservative senators of the period. He also mines books, journal articles, and doctoral dissertations. In addition, he analyzes roll calls for each individual senate. Overall, the evidence he amasses shows the emergence of two distinct types of conservatives along the lines Malsberger defines.
In summary, Malsberger presents a great deal of information on the intellectual history of a subset of U.S. senators during the fifteen years under review."
The second group he labels "new conservatives." He argues that they "generally made peace with the positive state and with American internationalism." They adjusted intellectually to the necessity of increased state power generated by the Great Depression and World War II.
To provide evidence for his thesis, he makes extensive use of public documents, newspapers and magazines, and manuscript collections of major conservative senators of the period. He also mines books, journal articles, and doctoral dissertations. In addition, he analyzes roll calls for each individual senate. Overall, the evidence he amasses shows the emergence of two distinct types of conservatives along the lines Malsberger defines.
In summary, Malsberger presents a great deal of information on the intellectual history of a subset of U.S. senators during the fifteen years under review."
Political Science Quarterly, Winter 2000-2001 <Top>
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