In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose speaks with historian and political analyst Dr. Allan J. Lichtman about his new book, Conservative at the Core: A New History of American Conservatism (University of Notre Dame Press). Lichtman, a longtime professor at American University, offers a sweeping reinterpretation of the conservative movement in the United States—one that challenges common assumptions about its origins and purpose.
Contrary to the idea that conservatism simply arose in reaction to Franklin Roosevelt’s liberal New Deal, Lichtman traces its roots back to the post–World War I era. He explains how the 1920s saw the formation of key ideological and cultural patterns still visible today: pro-business economic policies, restrictive immigration laws, culture wars centered on religion and morality, and the rise of evangelical political power.
Throughout the conversation, Lichtman distinguishes between “core” conservative values—such as the protection of private enterprise and a selective use of Christian moral language—and “discardable” ones, like states’ rights, limited government, or personal morality, which he argues conservatives abandon when politically convenient. He illustrates how these patterns connect presidents from Harding and Hoover to Trump, describing Trump not as a rupture but as the culmination of a century-long trajectory.
Additional Information
- For more information about Dr. Allan J. Lichtman you can visit: https://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/lichtman.cfm
Originally aired November 2, 2025
