Political History beyond the Red-Blue Divide.

CONSERVATISM; PHILLIPS-Fein, Kim; HISTORY; REAGAN, Ronald, 1911-2004; FREE enterprise; CONSERVATIVES; TWENTIETH century; HISTORY of conservatism

An essay is presented in response to the essay "Conservatism: A State of the Field," by Kim Phillips-Fein, published elsewhere in the issue. It analyzes Phillips-Fein's examination of the field of the history of U.S. conservatism and its historiography. The author examines conservatism throughout the twentieth century and comments on periodization. He reflects on U.S. President Ronald Reagan and the U.S. New Deal. The conservative free market ideology is also considered.