A compelling and necessary history of how the American conservative movement lost its philosophical compass—and a case for why it must be recovered.

In Fusionism: Liberty, Virtue, and the Future of the American Right, Stephanie Slade tells the story of a forgotten idea that once defined American conservatism. In the years following World War II, the fusionist philosophy—which united the classical liberal defense of individual freedom with the Judeo-Christian tradition of moral virtue—became the foundation of the conservative movement.

In an ironic twist, fusionism’s triumph during the Reagan years led to its decline, as its proponents no longer felt the need to explain and defend their beliefs. Today, many on the right embrace an emphatically anti-fusionist, power-oriented approach to politics that marks a sharp break from the principles of the American founding. And yet, Slade argues, it’s not too late to rediscover the dual importance of liberty and virtue. Fusionism is a lost philosophy whose time has come again.

Combining intellectual history with contemporary political analysis, Fusionism is a call to restore the ideas that once shaped the American right and made the United States exceptional. Slade makes the case that a return to fusionism is essential—not only to the health of the conservative movement but also to the survival of a free and virtuous society.