Summary
Olmsted in Right out of California: The 1930s and the Big Business Roots of Modern Conservatism, presents an alternate view on modern conservatism through the exploration of the increased labor disputes present in the agricultural fields. The book is centered on the agricultural dispute present in the Depression Era in California, which resulted in the emergence of numerous writers and artists. This motivated the adoption of the New Deal by FDR. The author explores the environment of terrified business managers due to the reassessment of their association with American politics. In order to explore the theme, the book presents an examination of the generation of growers that were against writers, reformers and revolutionaries.
Despite the engagement of over 125000 farmworkers in strikes in the 1930s, there was minimal action that was taken by the federal government. Olmsted associates the emerging battles, which were documented by earlier historians with the events of the 1930s, which were characterized by the unionization efforts and the jailing of numerous organizers of the protests on criminal charges. The author argues that the contemporary conservative movement was created from those events since growers acclimatized to pressing the sensitive cultural buttons and the application of dark money to promote their initiatives.
One of the primary growers that had captured the attention of the growers included Caroline Decker and Pat Chambers. The names are mentioned by author as significant contributors to the revolution, however, Olmsted provides the reader with biographical details of the two organizers that were forced to operate underground due to the influence of the law enforcement operations.
Olmsted exposes the adoption of the notion of populism among California business men through the assistance of the allies that were present in the entertainment and the media industries. In the process, there was creation of a new form of politics that included military-style intelligence that targeted the political enemies and the corporate funding of malicious grassroots groups. The book also examines the lives of professional campaign consultants and the association present between economic and religious conservatives. The business leaders are illustrated to fight for the minds and hearts of the Depression era in California leading to the creation of organizations that propelled the leadership of Ronald Regan and Richard Nixon to leading America. Consequently, it is evident that the author reveals a vital time in the definition of the political environment in America whose impact remains to this day.
