James Burnham was one of the most significant intellectual influences on the conservative movement of the twentieth century.  As an anti-Communist hardliner, his views on dealing with the Soviet menace head on ultimately shaped US foreign policy in the Reagan administration.  And his work at William F. Buckley’s National Review gave the fledgling magazine its foreign policy heft.

 

Throughout his long public career, there emerged two James Burnhams: one who provided the early scaffolding to neoconservative ideas and the other who inspired paleoconservatives.  Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by history professor David Byrne to discuss his latest book James Burnham: An Intellectual Biography.

 

About David Byrne

David Byrne is an adjunct professor of history at California Baptist University and Santa Monica College.  He contributes to the blogs The American Thinker and Crisis: A Voice for the Faithful Catholic Laity.  His previous book Ronald Reagan: An Intellectual Biography analyzes the ideas that informed Reagan’s political philosophy and policies, establishing a rationale for the former president’s motives, and discusses how thinkers such as Plato and Adam Smith influenced him.

 

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