Republican Radicals in a Polarised Union

This thesis aims to understand the peculiar features of conservatism and how these have related to the Republican Party in the United States of America. It analyses the divisions and inconsistencies among conservatives and Republicans. Of interest is how these have interacted with long term developments in the interpretation of the Constitution, democracy and the role of the Federal Government in guaranteeing the welfare of Americans. It posits that a looser interpretation of the Constitution - living constitutionalism - and an expanded role for Federal Government in providing welfare entitlements to Americans, has led to radical domestic policy views. Conservatives who have remain attached to the principles of a limited Federal Government have been inclined to oppose these developments since the Progressive Era. This has caused arguments between Republicans and conservatives over electoral strategy, the extent of reforms, and the need to moderate or change former principles. This was confounded by the philosophical discordance among conservatives and libertarians who allied in a conservative movement that arose in the 1950s. This thesis further argues that since the 1990s conservatives have had fundamental disagreements over foreign policy. The predominant foreign policy among Republicans and conservative has been divisive. A small group of conservative have interpreted it as radical because it prescribes an active and extensive military, the policing of critical regions in the world, and pre-emptive military action. This thesis thus explores two broad, radical influences on Republican politicians by tracing ideas and arguments of conservatives to the action of politicians.