NEO-CONSERVATISM: AN ANALYSIS OF ITS CAUSES AND ETHNIC BASIS.

摘要

This dissertation deals with the development of neo-conservatism among American intellectuals during the late 1960s and 1970s. The contention is that neo-conservatism is basically an ethnic phenomenon. Jewish intellectuals constituted a disproportionately large number of the neo-conservatives. This was no mere coincidence. Jewish issues and Jewish interests are believed to be the reasons that these thinkers grew more conservative. Had Jewish interests in America not changed during the late sixties, the movement would never have developed.; The hypothesis that was tested was that a major part of the shift of the Jewish neo-conservatives from liberal to conservative could be accounted for by changes in their ethnic group's interests. A counter-hypothesis was that any shift in their ethnic group's interests had little or nothing to do with the changed political and social beliefs of the neo-conservatives. Another counter-hypothesis was that the neo-conservatives' ethnic interests did not change during the period when their political and social beliefs shifted to the right. A third counter-hypothesis was that the interests of American Jews did not change during the period of the study.; The research method was to conduct a content analysis of all the articles written by a sample of intellectuals over the period from 1962 to 1977. The articles were evaluated in terms of their political stance. The articles were also evaluated for any reference to ethnic interests. The sample of intellectuals were divided into three groups: Jewish neo-conservatives who were liberals in 1962 but conservatives by 1977, Jewish liberals who remained so, and non-Jewish neo-conservatives.; After examining the articles, it became apparent that Jewish interests were a critical factor in the shift to neo-conservatism. Jewish interests had changed during the period of the study, and they had grown increasingly conservative. After documenting the impact of these interests, the counter-hypotheses were rejected and the hypothesis was supported.