Suicide of the West: An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism

I first read this book while in college in 1971. It's concepts and definitions have remained ingrained in my thinking since then. I revisited the book because of a conversation with my brother. I recommended that he read it-although I had forgotten the particulars of why he should read it. Since then I have reread it-especially chapter 5 which describes, point by point, exactly what Liberalism is. I now realize that Burnham's thinking is an integral part of my own-without my remembering exactly where the thought originated. Jonah Goldberg's book, "Liberal Facism", is a history of Liberal thought through the 19th and 20th centuries, and it is the perfect followup to Burnham. I love this book!

One of the best attacks on liberalism I've ever read, though Burnham makes the misleading argument that liberalism is a symptom of our dying civilization rather than its primary cause. But even if you believe this, there is no denying that liberalism is a malignant symptom that has rapidly sped up the self-destruction of the West. This book is a must for anyone who wants to understand the most significant political transformation of 20th century--the shrinking size, power and influence of the West. To truly understand the political dynamics of this shift in power, I would also recommend reading Samuel Francis' book James Burnham: Thinkers of Our Time

The reviews that I read here are right on the mark, so I will not venture to repeat their observations. Perhaps the most salient aspect of James Burnham book is it's astute observations of human nature and its consequences in terms of economics and justice. There is no philosophizing here; Burnham provides a dispassionate description of what modern liberal democracies and there inherent vulnerabilities. Just for its descriptions on human nature and world outlook, it should be required reading if most if not all undergraduates, regardless of what field.

Burnham began his career in political activism as a Trotskyite communist and became a very committed anti-communist. Like Buckley, Burnham, in the sixties and seventies particularly, provided intellectual fortification for the conservative movement.        First published in the early sixties, Suicide of the West is a withering indictment of liberalism. Far from serving as a bulwark against communism, liberalism, Burnham shows, is the ideology of Western suicide, communism in its preliminary stage. Though Soviet communism has collapsed, liberalism remains, and as long as it does, Suicide of the West should be read by conservatives.

Burnham wrote this book in 1964, and was at that time concerned about the 'contraction' of the West and its values. In that sense, this book is somewhat dated, since more of the opposite has happened. However, what makes this book a classic is his analysis of the liberal mind. In fact, this book is what helped me to understand the confused mind-set that is characteristic of leftists. Burnham is obviously very influenced by Michael Oakeshott (author of the classic _Rationalism in Politics_); he agrees with Oakeshott's belief that two of the main characteristics of leftists are the belief in 'reason' to solve all problems and to refashion society, and its collary, the denigration of tradition. Since 'rightists' see the limitations of reason, and understand the importance of thousands of years of evolved tradition in supporting society, they of course then logically become the main enemy of leftists. Rightists usually see leftists not as evil, but merely goofy; leftists on the other hand see rightists not merely as mistaken, but as evil. This is the book that clued me in as to why these beliefs are held. For anyone interested in politcal science, this is a must-read book.