The “Frustrated Hawks,” Tet 1968, and the Transformation of American Politics

1. The Rise of Conservatism and the “Frustrated Hawks”Although the 1960s are generally remembered as a decade of leftist protest and demands for radical change, and the year 1968 as a time of rebellion in the streets, this period has also begun to be recognized as a key moment in the emergence of the modern conservative movement, which Bruce and Laurie see as the “central story of American politics since World War II.” Historians of conservatism have noted that the modern American conservativ...