Introduction
Throughout its formation and development, conservatism had many figures and personalities who significantly contributed to it. One such representative of the movement was Phyllis Schlafly, who invested her whole life in promoting the basic concepts of this worldview. She was an American attorney who attracted attention because, in addition to supporting the conservative movement, she made anti-feminist statements and fought against the Equal Rights Amendment. The book by Donald T. Critchlow titled Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism: A Woman’s Crusade provides valuable insight into the activities of this political activist and contributes to a complete understanding of her worldview.
Phyllis Schlafly’s Impact on the Conservative Movement
Phyllis Schlafly is a political activist whose activities received a strong impetus immediately after the events of World War II. The author of the book notes that the career and formation of her figure in politics tell “about the remarkable changes that took place in the larger politics of the last half of the twentieth century” (Critchlow, 2008, p. 3). One of the merits of Schlafly was the creation of the Eagle Forum, which currently has about fifty thousand women who support conservative views and candidates. Among other achievements of Phyllis Schlafly was speaking out against the introduction of the Equal Rights Amendment, giving speeches for Congress, and the pro-family movement gave significant development to the right-wing movement in the United States of America.
The book Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism: A Woman’s Crusade discusses the process of forming Grassroots Conservatives. This movement is based on the involvement of people of a particular territory in political and economic affairs. In this context, Schlafly stands as a “defender of reaction, the status quo, and the patriarchal expression of women” (Critchlow, 2008, p. 12). Particular attention is paid to her confrontation with Betty Friedan, who, unlike the political activist under discussion, held more feminist views. Friedan and Schlafly represented a social division, the first of which adhered to a liberal worldview and the second to a right-wing conservative one.
Phyllis Schlafly had a religious Christian upbringing and saw the struggle against communist trends in the country as her main task. In her statements, she firmly relied on religious teaching, which attracted a relatively large number of followers who supported them. This was because, with the help of Christianity, Schlafly emphasized the difference between the communist and conservative movements as something opposite, in which the first is evil and the second is good. In addition, assistance came from other anti-communist movements that developed and grew in post-war times in America.
The first decades after World War II were particularly productive for a political figure. Schlafly has been involved in initiatives such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Illinois Federation of Republican Women, the budget committee of the Community Chest, and the annual St. Louis Radcliffe Alumnae House Tour fundraiser (Critchlow, 2008).
Even though the anti-communist movement was quite fragmented at that time, its followers were brought together by the opinion of a conspiracy directed by the Soviet Union and the imminent nature of this threat. Among the main achievements of Phyllis Schlafly is the writing of a book called A Choice Not an Echo, which gained quite a lot of popularity after its release. Critchlow (2008) stated that “the book was a no-holds-barred attack on the liberal Eastern wing of the GOP and ‘me-too’ Republicanism” (p. 110). The rapidly increased interest in the ideas that the political activist proclaimed in her book contributed to the growth of the awareness of grassroots conservatives in the United States. On the other hand, the supporters of this movement have also gained greater self-confidence and faith that they can promote a conservative candidate to the post of president of the country.
Richard Nixon had a special place in the political activity of Phyllis Schlafly because she paid great attention and effort to promote the future president and convince conservatives that he supported their worldviews and goals for the country’s society. However, it is noted that later she was very disappointed by the election and Nixon’s rule, as “she and other faithful conservatives believed they had been betrayed on both domestic and foreign policy” (Critchlow, 2008, p. 184). This moment in the history of becoming a supporter of conservatism had a particularly valuable contribution to her future activities and the way she treated her work and interaction with other political figures. In the future, Phyllis Schlafly focused on promoting anti-feminist doctrines and the pro-family movement as the basis of her political activities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Critchlow’s book Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism provides a large amount of unique and detailed information regarding such a political figure as Phyllis Schlafly. In addition, it contributes to gaining awareness of all the processes and events that influenced its formation and the overall formation of the conservative right-wing movement in America after World War II. The study of the foundations of Phyllis Schlafly’s worldview provided an understanding of the roots of her pro-family movement and the promotion of conservative postulates in society.
Reference
Critchlow, D. T. (2008). Phyllis Schlafly and grassroots conservatism: A woman’s crusade. Princeton University Press.