Fusionism

Fusionism is the name given to the coalition-building synthesis that shaped the American conservative movement after World War II. It tried to unite libertarian defenders of economic and individual freedom with traditionalists who emphasized virtue, religion and social order, with anti-communism as a shared cause.

The philosopher Frank Meyer, writing for National Review, is most associated with it. He argued that freedom is necessary for virtue to be genuine, because virtue that is coerced is not virtue, and that a free society needs moral foundations to survive. William F. Buckley Jr. gave the project a public platform, and Ronald Reagan became its political embodiment, pairing tax cuts and deregulation with a strong national defense and social conservatism.

The synthesis has long had critics on both sides. Traditionalists argued that it subordinates the common good to individual liberty, and libertarians say it allows government to enforce morality. Since the 2010s, debates about trade, immigration, foreign policy and the role of the state have led some to declare fusionism over, and to advocate national conservatism or postliberalism. Others say it endures as the practical basis of the Republican coalition. See also libertarianism and conservatism.