---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Since the 1950s, Movement Conservatives…"
description: "\"Since the 1950s, Movement Conservatives have fought the fair examination of their ideas. They embrace a worldview in which a few wealthy men control th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/heather-cox-richardson-6324_conservatives_since-the-1950s-movement-conservatives-h_699221.jpg"
---

#  Since the 1950s, Movement Conservatives have fought the…

![“Since the 1950s, Movement Conservatives have fought the fair examination of their ideas. They embrace a worldview in which a few wealthy men control the economy and dominate society. This idea repels most Americans.” quote by Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/heather-cox-richardson-6324_conservatives_since-the-1950s-movement-conservatives-h_699221.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/heather-cox-richardson-6324_conservatives_since-the-1950s-movement-conservatives-h_699221.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/heather-cox-richardson-6324_conservatives_since-the-1950s-movement-conservatives-h_699221.jpg)

> “Since the 1950s, Movement Conservatives have fought the fair examination of their ideas. They embrace a worldview in which a few wealthy men control the economy and dominate society. This idea repels most Americans.”

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Since the 1950s, conservatives have resisted scrutiny, favoring elite control, which many Americans reject.

**In simple terms:** Conservatives resist scrutiny, favor elite control, unpopular.

Key Takeaway

Question elite influence in politics.

Themes

politics history class power public opinion

Mood

critical analytical

Type

political historical

When to use this quote

- policy debate
- voting decisions
- activism
- education curriculum

Key Concepts

elitism democratic theory media framing

Questions to Reflect On

- How do economic interests shape political narratives?
- What reforms could reduce elite dominance?

A Different Perspective

Complexity of political motives may be oversimplified.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[1950S Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/1950s-movement-5538586/) [Conservatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatives/) [Conservatives Fought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatives-fought-5538585/) [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Movement Conservatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement-conservatives-1877524/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Worldview Wealthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worldview-wealthy-5538584/)

## Related quotes

> [Since the Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954, Movement Conservatives have tapped into the idea that an activist government redistributed wealth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/since-the-brown-v-board-of-education-decision-of-1954-movement/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [The fantasy world of Movement Conservatives is no longer fringe talk. The leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination embrace it. They are playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/the-fantasy-world-of-movement-conservatives-is-no-longer-fringe-talk/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [In the 1960s, Movement Conservatives created a cast of villains. The Brown v. Board decision in 1954 and President Eisenhower's use of troops to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/in-the-1960s-movement-conservatives-created-a-cast-of-villains-the/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [The rise of a new kind of political science in the 1960s has been driving a wedge between political insiders and voters ever since.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/the-rise-of-a-new-kind-of-political-science-in-the-1960s-has-been/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [The effort of Reince Priebus and the RNC to reach out to movement conservatives has been impressive and will, I believe pay great dividends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blackwell/the-effort-of-reince-priebus-and-the-rnc-to-reach-out-to-movement/)

[Ken Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blackwell/)

> [Since Democratic president Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the New Deal in the 1930s, radical conservatives have railed against the idea that the government should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/since-democratic-president-franklin-delano-roosevelt-established-the/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [Since Ronald Reagan's election in 1980, conservatives of various sorts, and conservatisms of various stripes, have generally been in the ascendancy. And a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-ronald-reagan-s-election-in-1980-conservatives-of-various-sorts/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Fellow conservatives, particularly within the Republican Party, typically do a good job arguing against totalitarian, one-size-fits-all approaches to policy. What works for a family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grenell/fellow-conservatives-particularly-within-the-republican-party/)

[Richard Grenell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grenell/)

> [After eight years of Obama one thing is clear: Conservatives want a fighter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-schlapp/after-eight-years-of-obama-one-thing-is-clear-conservatives-want-a/)

[Matt Schlapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-schlapp/)

> [“Politics is way cool, as long as it’s progressive. Conservatives by nature hate politics and politicians.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/politics-is-way-cool-as-long-as-it-s-progressive-conservatives-by/)

[Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/)

> [“conservatives say consensus is forming around an immigration package that would include several separate bills on border security; a clampdown against the hiring of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/conservatives-say-consensus-is-forming-around-an-immigration-package/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Most conservatives - by which I mean normal people - have little conception of the aggressive and revolutionary force that confronts them. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bethell/most-conservatives-by-which-i-mean-normal-people-have-little/)

[Tom Bethell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bethell/)

> [Conservatives are people who look at a tree and feel instinctively that it is more beautiful than anything they can name. But when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/conservatives-are-people-who-look-at-a-tree-and-feel-instinctively/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [Forgive me for noting that conservatives seem to believe that the rich will work harder if we give them more, and the poor will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-dionne/forgive-me-for-noting-that-conservatives-seem-to-believe-that-the/)

[E. J. Dionne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-dionne/)

> [Conservatives, despite their increasingly powerful presence on cable TV and talk radio, feel excluded and disregarded by the longstanding preponderance of liberal voices on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-medved/conservatives-despite-their-increasingly-powerful-presence-on-cable/)

[Michael Medved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-medved/)

## More by Heather Cox Richardson

> [Since 2012, the USPS has not been able to meet its prefunding requirement, but without it, the agency would have made a modest operating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/since-2012-the-usps-has-not-been-able-to-meet-its-prefunding/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [Republicans turned against organized workers and abandoned the idea of promoting equality at the bottom of the economic scale. They turned their idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/republicans-turned-against-organized-workers-and-abandoned-the-idea/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [Producing 1,200 words every day, when you're already working a full-time job is a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/producing-1-200-words-every-day-when-you-re-already-working-a-full/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [Abraham Lincoln and others recoiled from the idea of government as a prop for the rich. In organizing the Republican Party, they highlighted the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/abraham-lincoln-and-others-recoiled-from-the-idea-of-government-as-a/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [Men like Abraham Lincoln recognized that if the slaveholders were not stopped, it would only be a question of time until they spread their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/men-like-abraham-lincoln-recognized-that-if-the-slaveholders-were-not/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [The question of impeaching Donald Trump is about replacing the toxic partisanship of today's Republican party with America's traditional rule of law. It has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/the-question-of-impeaching-donald-trump-is-about-replacing-the-toxic/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [Trump's administration looks a great deal like those of the 1850s and the 1890s, with business and government so intertwined that they cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/trump-s-administration-looks-a-great-deal-like-those-of-the-1850s-and/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [Trump's alliance with Russia's Vladimir Putin, in defiance of America's own intelligence community, the Department of Justice, and the bipartisan report of the Senate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/trump-s-alliance-with-russia-s-vladimir-putin-in-defiance-of-america/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [When a president, as Trump does, demonises opponents as an un-American mob trying to destroy the country, it is not a lunatic who tries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/when-a-president-as-trump-does-demonises-opponents-as-an-un-american/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [Democracy was always a gamble. In 1776, the founders rejected the old idea that government should be based on hierarchies according to wealth or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/democracy-was-always-a-gamble-in-1776-the-founders-rejected-the-old/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [Dog whistles about women who want handouts are simply an acceptable way to say that women are not worth as much as the men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/dog-whistles-about-women-who-want-handouts-are-simply-an-acceptable/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [The Treaty of Fort Laramie established most of what would later become South Dakota as a reservation, along with the Black Hills. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/the-treaty-of-fort-laramie-established-most-of-what-would-later/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [Under Ronald Reagan, hatred of the liberal media took on a storybook quality. Reagan had honed his political skills as a spokesman for General…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/under-ronald-reagan-hatred-of-the-liberal-media-took-on-a-storybook/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [Beginning in 1981, when government policies began to undermine the liberal consensus of the previous generation, wealth began to diverge. It is more unevenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/beginning-in-1981-when-government-policies-began-to-undermine-the/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [Mt. Rushmore was conceived in 1923 in a desperate attempt to draw tourist dollars to a state that had been rushed into the Union…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/mt-rushmore-was-conceived-in-1923-in-a-desperate-attempt-to-draw/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

[Explore all 99 Heather Cox Richardson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

## More Conservatives quotes

> [Conservatives, despite their increasingly powerful presence on cable TV and talk radio, feel excluded and disregarded by the longstanding preponderance of liberal voices on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-medved/conservatives-despite-their-increasingly-powerful-presence-on-cable/)

[Michael Medved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-medved/)

> [Forgive me for noting that conservatives seem to believe that the rich will work harder if we give them more, and the poor will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-dionne/forgive-me-for-noting-that-conservatives-seem-to-believe-that-the/)

[E. J. Dionne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-dionne/)

> [Conservatives are people who look at a tree and feel instinctively that it is more beautiful than anything they can name. But when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/conservatives-are-people-who-look-at-a-tree-and-feel-instinctively/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [Most conservatives - by which I mean normal people - have little conception of the aggressive and revolutionary force that confronts them. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bethell/most-conservatives-by-which-i-mean-normal-people-have-little/)

[Tom Bethell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bethell/)

> [“conservatives say consensus is forming around an immigration package that would include several separate bills on border security; a clampdown against the hiring of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/conservatives-say-consensus-is-forming-around-an-immigration-package/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Politics is way cool, as long as it’s progressive. Conservatives by nature hate politics and politicians.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/politics-is-way-cool-as-long-as-it-s-progressive-conservatives-by/)

[Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/)

> [After eight years of Obama one thing is clear: Conservatives want a fighter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-schlapp/after-eight-years-of-obama-one-thing-is-clear-conservatives-want-a/)

[Matt Schlapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-schlapp/)

> [Fellow conservatives, particularly within the Republican Party, typically do a good job arguing against totalitarian, one-size-fits-all approaches to policy. What works for a family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grenell/fellow-conservatives-particularly-within-the-republican-party/)

[Richard Grenell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grenell/)

> [Since Ronald Reagan's election in 1980, conservatives of various sorts, and conservatisms of various stripes, have generally been in the ascendancy. And a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-ronald-reagan-s-election-in-1980-conservatives-of-various-sorts/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [How many people disapprove of the job the Conservatives are doing? Seventy percent. Of those same people, how many will vote for them again?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/how-many-people-disapprove-of-the-job-the-conservatives-are-doing/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [What we need to recognize, less than 1 percent of the people organized around issues that are already supported by conservatives and liberals, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/what-we-need-to-recognize-less-than-1-percent-of-the-people-organized/)

[Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/)

> [Their problem is not me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves. Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cuomo/their-problem-is-not-me-and-the-democrats-their-problem-is-themselves/)

[Andrew Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cuomo/)

> [It is my hope that all of the Republicans who recognize that nominating a candidate who agrees with Hillary Clinton on a host of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/it-is-my-hope-that-all-of-the-republicans-who-recognize-that/)

[Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/)

> [Sure, sexism is not confined to the Conservatives. Harriet Harman has suggested that Gordon Brown didn't make her deputy prime minister because she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/sure-sexism-is-not-confined-to-the-conservatives-harriet-harman-has/)

[Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/)

> [If conservatives don't want to be seen as bitter people who cling to their guns and religion and anti-immigrant sentiments, they should stop being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/if-conservatives-don-t-want-to-be-seen-as-bitter-people-who-cling-to/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

[Browse all 844 Conservatives quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatives/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Since the 1950s, Movement Conservatives have fought the fair examination of their ideas. They embrace a worldview in which a few wealthy men control the economy and dominate society. This idea repels most Americans.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Heather Cox Richardson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/since-the-1950s-movement-conservatives-have-fought-the-fair/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Conservatives"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/since-the-1950s-movement-conservatives-have-fought-the-fair/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/heather-cox-richardson-6324_conservatives_since-the-1950s-movement-conservatives-h_699221.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/heather-cox-richardson-6324_conservatives_since-the-1950s-movement-conservatives-h_699221.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/524/heather-cox-richardson-6324_conservatives_since-the-1950s-movement-conservatives-h_699221.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Since the 1950s, Movement Conservatives have fought the fair examination of their ideas. They embrace a…” — Heather Cox Richardson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Heather Cox Richardson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Since the 1950s, Movement Conservatives have...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/since-the-1950s-movement-conservatives-have-fought-the-fair/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/since-the-1950s-movement-conservatives-have-fought-the-fair/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
