Charles A. Willoughby and the Anti-Communist Crusade

For three decades after the war, the Old Right crusaded against global communist expansion, sniffing out internal and external threats to the American way of life, making a lasting imprint on geopolitical thought in the early Cold War period. This book investigates their influence.

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"Beware the Red Peril!" was the clarion call of General Charles A. Willoughby at the close of World War II. The refrain echoed from Capitol Hill into American living rooms. For three decades after the war, the Old Right crusaded against global communist expansion, sniffing out internal and external threats to the American way of life.

These paleo-conservatives faced resistance from the Left, as well as from an emerging faction on the Right that sought to frame a new identity for conservatism. Despite those obstacles, the Old Right made a lasting imprint on geopolitical thought in the early Cold War period. This book investigates their influence, the roles played by women, minorities and Jewish conservatives, and their legacy in early 20th century ideologies.