Conservatives in a “Liberal Age”

This chapter reevaluates the origins and political significance of the “neoconservative turn” in American politics. Focusing on prominent Cold War liberals such as Irving Kristol, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Norman Podhoretz, Eugene V. Rostow, and Charles Tyroler, it challenges the prevailing view that these figures merely shifted rightward in response to the Democratic Party’s leftward turn and the radicalism of the 1960s. Instead, it argues that their transition to neoconservatism was rooted in the conservative elements intrinsic to Cold War liberalism itself, particularly its emphasis on national security, military power, and global hegemony. By tracing the networks and institutions – both political and literary – that sustained the influence of these individuals, the chapter reveals how Cold War liberals reshaped their ideology to accommodate the changing political landscape of the 1970s, without, however, abandoning their core principles. Central to this transformation were organizations such as the Democratic National Committee and publications such as Commentary and The Public Interest , which provided platforms for these figures to align with conservatives while preserving their liberal heritage. This reinterpretation underscores the continuity between Cold War liberalism and neoconservatism, reframing the latter as an adaptive evolution rather than a radical departure.