In 1987 the American philosopher Allan Bloom published his controversial book The Closing of
the American Mind in which he criticized contemporary trends in American academia as well as
in the culture at large. The book was largely perceived to be a conservative tract and many
commentators on the political Right praised the work although Bloom himself rejected the label
conservative . The controversy Bloom unleashed was - and is - a battle between political forces
for cultural sovereignty especially in the universities and the commanding heights of
American intellectual life. This conflict was well captured in Camille Paglia s famous
description of The Closing of the American Mind as the first shot in the culture wars. The
purpose of this study is to inquire into the American Right s reception and reconstruction of
Bloom s book and to determine the initial impact and lasting influence it had on American
conservative thought. To provide the necessary context the history of American conservatism
from 1945 up to the respective points in time is also illuminated in this work.
