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Frank Meyer, Inventor of Conservatism (w/ Daniel J. Flynn)

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Aug 28, 2025

Guest

Daniel Flynn

Daniel J. Flynn, a senior editor at the American Spectator and author of the upcoming biography on Frank S. Meyer, dives into the life of this pivotal conservative figure. They discuss Meyer’s remarkable transition from communism to conservatism, revealing his dual life as a revolutionary and a key architect of the conservative movement. Flynn shares insights from rare personal documents and explores Meyer's influence on modern conservatism, his personal tragedies, and how his ideas continue to shape today’s political landscape.

01:45:13

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ADVICE

Build Coalitions Around Shared Heritage

To form broad political coalitions, emphasize shared cultural tradition alongside policy goals.
Present freedom as rooted in historical inheritance to unite different conservative constituencies.

insights

INSIGHT

Fusionism: Tradition Sustains Liberty

Fusionism marries American tradition and individual freedom into a politically useful coalition.
Meyer argued that preserving tradition sustains liberty, so traditionalists and libertarians can cooperate rather than clash.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Lost Papers Found In A Warehouse

Daniel Flynn discovered 663 boxes in a Pennsylvania warehouse and found 15 boxes of Frank Meyer's private papers.
Those boxes contained tax returns, dance cards, Christmas cards from Joan Didion, and roughly 100,000 letters offering unseen material.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Exploring Frank Meyer: The Man Who Invented Conservatism

02:30 • 3min

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The Life and Legacy of Frank Meyer

05:20 • 23min

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Contrasting Academic Journeys

28:26 • 4min

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The Double Life of Frank Meyer

32:56 • 26min

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Frank Meyer: Personal Tragedies and Editorial Influence

58:51 • 20min

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Contrasting Views on Counterculture and Conservatism

01:19:01 • 2min

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Conservative Ideals and Internal Struggles

01:21:26 • 20min

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The Evolving Legacy of Fusionism in Conservatism

01:41:41 • 4min

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#7771

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

The conservative intellectual movement in America since 1945

George H. Nash

This book, first published in 1976 and revised in later editions, explores the development of the conservative intellectual movement in America since 1945. Nash identifies three primary strains of conservative thought: libertarianism, which resists the expansion of the state and advocates for individualism and private enterprise; traditionalism, which seeks a return to traditional religious and ethical absolutes in response to the secular and rootless mass society; and militant, evangelistic anticommunism. The book examines how these diverse streams interact and sometimes conflict, highlighting key figures such as William F. Buckley Jr. and the influence of the magazine 'National Review'. Nash's work is considered a foundational study in the field of American conservatism.

#4051

• Mentioned in 7 episodes

The conscience of a conservative

Barry M. Goldwater

Written in 1960, 'The Conscience of a Conservative' by Barry Goldwater is a seminal work that laid out conservative principles and policies. The book, ghostwritten by L. Brent Bozell, argues for the importance of conservative values such as freedom, limited government, and the maintenance of social order. Goldwater discusses various issues including civil rights, taxes, the welfare state, and the Soviet threat, advocating for a return to traditional conservative ideals. The book had a significant impact on American conservatism, transforming it from an abstract set of ideas into a practical political philosophy and influencing subsequent generations of conservatives.

#53637

Confessions of a conservative

Garry Wills

#2024

• Mentioned in 13 episodes

The Conservative Mind

Russell Kirk

Published in 1953, *The Conservative Mind* is a landmark book that gave shape to the postwar conservative movement in the United States. Russell Kirk's work chronicles the history of conservative thought, starting with Edmund Burke and John Adams, and continuing through to 20th-century thinkers like Santayana and T.S. Eliot. The book defends traditional conservatism, emphasizing the importance of preserving ancient wisdom present in institutions, culture, and government, and expresses a distrust of 'progress' that seeks to dismantle these repositories of the 'permanent things. ' Kirk's vision of conservatism is rooted in the 'moral imagination' and the Burkean conception of society as an organic, sacred order, advocating for slow and cautious change rather than radical reforms.

#184

• Mentioned in 75 episodes

The road to serfdom

Friedrich Von Hayek

In this influential book, Hayek argues that the abandonment of individualism and classical liberalism leads to a loss of freedom, the creation of an oppressive society, and ultimately, the tyranny of a dictator. He challenges the view that fascism and Nazism are capitalist reactions against socialism, instead positing that these ideologies share common roots in central economic planning and the empowerment of the state over the individual. The book emphasizes the dangers of collectivism and the importance of maintaining a free market system to preserve human freedom and dignity.

#10934

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

The Man Who Invented Conservatism

The Unlikely Life of Frank Meyer

Daniel Flynn

#15021

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

In defense of freedom

Paul Rink

#2766

• Mentioned in 10 episodes

Ideas have consequences

Richard Weaver

In 'Ideas Have Consequences,' Richard M. Weaver argues that the decline of Western civilization is a result of the increasing acceptance of relativism over absolute reality. Despite advancements in knowledge, this shift away from the realist intellectual tradition has weakened Western society's capacity for reason, leading to catastrophic consequences for social order and individual rights. Weaver proposes a remedy in the renewed acceptance of absolute reality and the recognition that ideas, like actions, have consequences. The book also includes a foreword by Roger Kimball and an afterword by Ted J. Smith III, providing additional context and insights into Weaver's work and its historical significance.

Devoted Know Your Enemy listeners will recall that, in November 2021, we released a fairly dense, theory-driven episode on Frank Meyer, the Communist from New Jersey whose exploits on behalf of the Party in the UK got him kicked out of the country and back to the United States, where he eventually turned right and became a key figure in the post-war U.S. conservative movement, both as an editor at National Review and an architect of institutions like the American Conservative Union, Young Americans for Freedom, and the Conservative Party of New York. Of course, we had more to say about Meyer, and we're devoting another episode to him, this time focused on the details of his incredible life, thanks to the publication of an extraordinary new biography of Meyer, Daniel J. Flynn's The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer. Flynn discovered a trove of never-before-seen papers of Meyer's that range from personal documents (tax returns, Christmas cards from Joan Didion, his dance card from college) to his correspondence with nearly every conservative writer and intellectual of note in the 1950s and 60s. Armed with these files, Flynn offers a vivid portrait of a brilliant, eccentric political life and mind.

Listen again: "Frank Meyer: Father of Fusionism" (November 10, 2021)

Sources:

Daniel J. Flynn, The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer (2025)

Frank S. Meyer, In Defense of Freedom: A Conservative Credo (Regnery, 1962)

F.A. Hayek, "Why I am Not a Conservative," from The Constitution of Liberty: The Definitive Edition (2011)

George H. Nash, The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945 (Basic Books, 1976)

Garry Wills, Confessions of a Conservative (Doubleday, 1979)

"Against the Dead Consensus," First Things, March 21, 2019

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