Leo Strauss and the American Right

In 1980, Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States for his first term, and the conservative revolution that was slowly developing in the United States finally emerged in full-throated roar. Who provoked the conservative revolution? Shadia Drury provides a fascinating answer to the question as she looks at the work of Leo Strauss, a seemingly reclusive German Jewish emigreacute; and scholar who was one of the most influential individuals in the conservative movement, a man widely seen as the godfather of the Republican party's failed "Contract With America." Among his students were individuals such as Alan Bloom, author of The Closing of the American Mind. Strauss influenced the work of Irving Kristol, Gertrude Himmelfarb and William Kristol, as well as Chief Justice Clarence Thomas and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Drury delves deeply into Strauss's work at the University of Chicago where he taught his students that, if they truly loved America, they must save her from her fateful enchantment with liberalism. Leo Strauss and the American Right is a fascinating piece of work that anyone interested in understanding our current political situation will want to read.

Shadia B. Drury is a professor of politics at the University of Calgary in Canada. She is the author ofThe Political Ideas of Leo Strauss andAlexandre Kojeve: The Roots of Postmodern Politics. She lives in Calgary.

I love Shadia Drury's work and there was no question in my mind that I would publish this book. I knew it would be controversial because Straussians don't want their "god" unmasked, but here he is and, as they say, "The Emperor isn't wearing any clothes."
Preface * Straussians in Washington * Strauss’ Jewish Heritage * Strauss’ German Connection * American Applications of Straussian Philosophy * Neoconservatism: A Straussian Legacy * The Demise of American Liberalism * Selected Bibliography * Index