William F. Buckley Jr. probably best described the need for this seminal work when he stated, “James Burnham has written a reserve about Liberalism for which the world has been aching. It is worth more to the West compared to the year’s gross nationwide product, a lot more than all the planes and bombs.”

Through studious research into past civilizations, Burnham diagnoses the twentieth century and finds it suffering from destructive, sometimes “suicidal” tendencies–all which arise from your “Liberal syndrome” and its own inherent applications.

The book explores a number of important questions, including why Liberalism clashes with Christianity and exactly how Liberalism is a root cause of race riots and the rapid growth in crime. For Wayne Burnham, who passed away in 1987, this reserve is certainly one of is own greatest legacies.