Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

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This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation on International Affairs. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest today is William A. Rusher, a distinguished figure in the Conservative movement in the United States. Mr. Rusher has been a television personality on the program, "The Advocate." He is a syndicated columnist. He's the author of numerous books on conservatism including The Rise of the Right. And he is recognized as a key figure in articulating the Conservative agenda and implementing it through the support of leading Conservative political figures. Of course, he was the publisher of the National Review for thirty-one years.

1. Background
2. Origins of the Conservative Movement ... libertarianism ... traditionalism ... anti-communism
3. The Eisenhower Presidency
4. The National Review
5. Conservative Ideas Take Hold ... intellectual beginnings ... a political movement ... social dynamics of the sixties and seventies ... Nixon ... growth in the seventies
6. Reagan ... true believer ... media skills ... achievements ... the deficit
7. Traditional Conservatism and Social Responsibility ... homelessness ... the drug problem ... the problem of AFDC
8. Reagan, Gorbachev, and the End of the Cold War ... Reagan's information ... other conservative views ... Eastern European influence on conservative views ... U.S. policy post - Cold War ... Gorbachev as leader
9. The Future of Conservatism ... after the Cold War ... the glue of anti-liberalism ... new foreign policy agenda ... advising post-communists ... isolationism
10. Lessons Learned

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