Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right

At the height of the John Birch Society’s activity in the 1960s, critics dismissed its members as a paranoid fringe. After all, “Birchers” believed that a vast communist conspiracy existed in America & posed an existential threat to Christianity, capitalism, & freedom. But as historian Matthew Dallek reveals, the Birch Society’s extremism remade American conservatism. 

Most Birchers were white professionals who were radicalized as growing calls for racial & gender equality appeared to upend American life. Conservative leaders recognized that these affluent voters were needed to win elections, & for decades the GOP courted Birchers & their extremist successors. The far right steadily gained power, finally toppling the Republican establishment & electing Donald Trump. Birchers is a deeply researched & indispensable new account of the rise of extremism in the United States.

Matthew Dallek is a historian & professor of political management at George Washington University’s College of Professional Studies. The author of The Right Moment & Defenseless Under the Night, his writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Politico, & other publications. He lives in Washington, DC.