Confronting the Environmental Crisis?: Anti-Environmentalism and the Transformation of Conservative Thought in the 1970S

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Confronting the Environmental Crisis?: Anti-Environmentalism and the Transformation of Conservative Thought in the 1970S Confronting the Environmental Crisis?: Anti-Environmentalism and the Transformation of Conservative Thought in the 1970s By Alex John Boynton Submitted to the graduate degree program in History and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Chairperson Sara M. Gregg ________________________________ Donald E. Worster ________________________________ Edmund P. Russell ________________________________ Jeffrey P. Moran ________________________________ J. Christopher Brown Date Defended: 13 March, 2015 ©2015 Alex John Boynton The Dissertation Committee for Alex John Boynton certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Confronting the Environmental Crisis?: Anti-Environmentalism and the Transformation of Conservative Thought in the 1970s ________________________________ Chairperson Sara M. Gregg Date approved: March 13, 2015 ii Abstract “Confronting the Environmental Crisis” examines the role anti-environmentalism played in the unification of conservative thought in the 1960s and 1970s. American conservatism during these decades was no monolith. Rather, it was an incredibly diverse political philosophy capable of sheltering a number of disparate strains of thought under its broad canopy. But these strains did not always exist in harmony with one another. In fact, for much of the period under consideration, the four major conservative philosophies – traditionalism, libertarianism, fusionism, and neoconservatism – existed in explicit tension within one another. Unless the ideological barriers separating these contrasting impulses were somehow smoothed over, American conservatism would remain fractured and incapable of influencing national politics in any meaningful way. This dissertation argues that opposition to environmentalism in the 1970s served as a unifying force for American conservatism. It served as the glue that held together the opposing varieties of conservatism despite the persistence of ideological divisions in other areas of thought. The emergence of conservative anti-environmentalism in the 1970s owed much to the transformation of the American environmental movement. In the 1960s, many conservative intellectuals supported the environmental protection because they believed their philosophical principles supported environmental protection. But beginning in the 1970s, the environmental movement transformed into something that American conservatives no longer recognized. They perceived that their values no longer aligned so neatly with those held by environmentalists. Some conservative intellectuals continued to support environmental measures, but for many more this divergence in values led them to repudiate their former position and to embrace an unyielding opposition to environmentalism. By the end of the 1970s, anti-environmentalism had become a defining feature of American conservatism. iii The unification of American conservatism around anti-environmental ideas created aftershocks that altered not only the political landscape of environmental issues in the 1970s, but the whole of twentieth and twenty-first century America. Translating these ideas into politics in the 1970s and subsequent decades proved extremely difficult. But, as “Confronting the Environmental Crisis” demonstrates, conservative anti-environmentalism in the 1970s helped contribute to the polarization of American political rhetoric concerning the environment in lasting ways. Contemporary polarization of issues such as global warming and climate change, for example, demonstrates the impressive resilience of the conservative intellectual opposition to environmentalism. The contemporary American political landscape bears scars that can be traced back to the tumult of the 1970s. iv Acknowledgements I cannot possibly thank everyone who helped me with this project in the meager space I am afforded here, but there are certain individuals, or groups of individuals, at least, whose contributions deserve special attention. At the University of Kansas, no one deserves thanks more than Sara Gregg. I could not ask for a more patient, nurturing, helpful, supportive, and encouraging advisor. Whether I needed a chapter read, a kick in the butt to stimulate progress on the project, or advice concerning professional development, Sara never failed to give immediate and diligent attention to my work. Her unyielding support of my ideas and her unwavering belief in my abilities gave me the confidence I needed to produce this dissertation. I would be remiss if I also did not thank Donald Worster for his many contributions to the project. This dissertation began in one of Don’s seminar classes in the Fall of 2010. Like many KU environmental historians before me, I benefitted greatly from Don’s penetrating analysis of my work. Don has always pushed me to address my work to questions of deep and possibly transcendent historical significance, and if this dissertation has any merit, it is because I have heeded those words. I would also like to thank Jeff Moran, Ed Russell, Greg Cushman, Chris Brown, and Paul Kelton for all of the invaluable assistance they have provided during my time at KU. This project could not have been completed without their help. The same can be said for the generous staff of the KU history department: Sandy Kennedy, Ellen Garber, Ashley Durkee, Amanda Contreras, and Katie Rockey. Certain professors at Illinois State University also deserve to have their names mentioned here. As a junior during my undergraduate years at ISU, I took a flier on a class Bill Philpott offered on American environmental history. I did not know it at the time, but that class exerted a formative influence on my life that has culminated in the completion of this dissertation. The same can be said for a summer class on the history of American conservatism that I took with v Andrew Hartman. In addition to being excellent teachers and scholars, Amy Wood and Tony Crubaugh provided excellent professional advice as I agonized over my decision to pursue a doctoral degree. I will always be a Redbird, and I will always look upon my time at ISU with fondness. Several friends and colleagues I met during my time at the University of Kanas contributed to the completion of this dissertation, although some contributed more directly than others. My landlord, Winchell Delano – himself a KU graduate – let me rent his house for the entire time it took to complete this dissertation. Having my own office away from campus where I could write my dissertation in silence is a luxury that I will be forever grateful for. His periodic visits also helped alleviate the pressures of grad school life. If ever I was having a difficult time thinking about my dissertation, a visit to Chris Carey in Kansas City solved the problem, though it occasionally created new questions about my golf game. Taking time out of my schedule to game with Harley Davidson also did wonders for my sanity. I will always be grateful to Vaughn Scribner for coaxing me to play basketball, and our weekly grad student game of five on five was always a much needed break from the rigors of dissertating. I will never forget the many Halo Night’s at my house with the likes of Neil Oatsvall, John Hess, Rob Miller, Josh Nygren, and those mentioned above. I would also like to thank the members of KU’s weekly environmental history brownbag who have read parts of this dissertation over the years and given valuable feedback, including Brian Rumsey, Brandon Luedtke, Amber Roberts-Graham, Jared Taber, and Nicholas Cunigan. Finally, I would like to thank my family. My father, Thomas Boynton, has been my biggest supporter during my time at KU, and this dissertation would not be possible without his love and understanding. The same can be said for my brother, T.J. Boynton. A former graduate student himself, T’s advice about graduate school, and his constant willingness to do anything vi and everything to help me become a better writer, teacher, and scholar can never be repaid. I wish my mother, Sally Boynton, were alive to read this dissertation. She would have been the most proud of this accomplishment. This dissertation is for her and the rest of the Boynton/Oncken family. vii Table Of Contents ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................ iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................... v INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER ONE ‘Nothing is More Conservative than Conservation’: Traditionalist Conservative Support for the Postwar Environmental Movement ............................. 32 CHAPTER TWO ‘The Disaster Lobby’: Libertarianism and the Ideological Origins of the Environmental Opposition .................................. 97 CHAPTER THREE ‘Do We Want Environment?’: William F. Buckley, Jr., National Review, and the Consolidation of the Conservative Opposition to Environmentalism ................................................................................................................................... 163 CHAPTER FOUR ‘The Environmentalist Crusade’: Environmentalism and Birth of Neoconservative Ideas ...................................................................... 231
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