A case study of conservative political education: Dr. George S. Benson and the National Education Program

The intent of this study was to determine the impact of grass-roots conservative political education on the conservative resurgence within American politics since 1940. This case study involves a critical analysis of the life and work of Dr. George S. Benson and his National Education Program, located on the campus of Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas.;The meticulous evaluation of the conservative resurgence provided by Kevin P. Phillips, Thomas Fleming, Paul Gottfried, and Kenneth D. Wald in their published works was used as a theoretical framework from which to study the influence of Benson and his organization. These authors have provided a thorough analysis of six identifiable elements associated with the emergence of the conservative movement in American politics and especially its influence within the revitalized Republican Party of 1980.;The central claim of this study is that this conservative resurgence after World War II owed much to a grass-roots level of political indoctrination which methodically and persistently reminded the American electorate of the differences between conservative and liberal political ideologies and of the ruinous consequences which the implementation of these liberal ideals might bring. The dissemination of the political ideology of Benson and the NEP, through thousands of newspaper articles; radio addresses; radio, television, and motion picture documentaries; and Freedom Forums on college campuses all over the nation, provided a consistent and unrelenting barrage of political indoctrination for millions of Americans over a forty year period. Throughout this period Benson and his associates attempted to promote a particular brand of "Americanism" (belief in God, belief in the U.S. Constitution, and a basic belief in the free enterprise economic system). Their over-riding desire was to promote these ideals in opposition to what they felt to be "creeping socialism" and the more direct ideological attack from a worldwide "Communist conspiracy." By and large the NEP was successful in their political indoctrination, especially in the political transformation of students on many college campuses and industrial workers from thousands of major American corporations.;This study has also proved that grass-roots political organizations such as the NEP contributed significantly to the development of a substantially realigned conservative coalition in American politics during the 1970s which included elements of the new "Religious Right." It also takes note of several other studies which prove that the emergence of this politically influential religious element contributed significantly to the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 and to the continued domination of the conservative ideology in American politics since then. In this regard the NEP was especially influential.