The Conscience of a Conservative · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in The Conscience of a Conservative by Barry Goldwater.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
Narrator
major
Also known as Unknown, Our, ourselves, our, freedom—we, ours, mine, Mine
An unnamed conservative who refuses to apologize for his convictions, insisting that freedom, not economics, is the beating heart of the political philosophy he defends.
The Communists
supporting
Also known as the Communists, The Communists, Communists, dissident Communists, their, its
The totalitarian adversary whose collectivist creed subordinates the individual soul to the state, serving as the narrator's starkest example of everything conservatism must resist.
Candidate X
minor
Also known as X, candidate X, himself, for—he
A hypothetical political candidate used to illustrate conservative principles in action.
Congress
supporting
Also known as Congress, the Congress, its, it
The federal legislature whose expanding appetite for power over the states and the citizenry becomes the narrator's prime exhibit of government overreach.
The Kremlin
supporting
Also known as the Kremlin, The Kremlin, its, It
The seat of Soviet power and the narrator's central foreign-policy antagonist, embodying the tyrannical collectivism that threatens free peoples everywhere.
The States
supporting
Also known as the States, States, their, themselves
The individual American states whose constitutional prerogatives the narrator champions against a federal government that has steadily usurped their rightful authority.
Conservatives
supporting
Also known as Conservatives, the Conservatives, their
The narrator's political kin, a tradition he insists has never been a mere economic theory but a full philosophy of the whole man, spiritual and free.
Mr. Larson
minor
Also known as Mr. Larson, Larson
A specific individual mentioned as an example of a conservative voter or thinker.
President Eisenhower
minor
Also known as President Eisenhower
The U.S. president whose policies are critiqued from a conservative perspective.
The True Conservative
minor
Also known as The Conservative, The true Conservative, the Conservative
An idealized figure representing the narrator's vision of principled conservatism.
Most Americans
minor
Also known as most Americans, Americans, some Americans
The general American public whose values the narrator claims to represent.
Alexis de Tocqueville
minor
Also known as Alexis de Tocqueville, de Tocqueville
French political thinker quoted on American democracy and individualism.
Big Labor
minor
Also known as Big Labor, Labor, its
Organized labor unions portrayed as a threat to individual worker freedom.
Senator Taft
minor
Also known as The late Senator Taft, Senator Taft
Late conservative senator praised for his principled stands on labor and foreign policy.
The Soviets
minor
Also known as the Soviets
The Soviet Union as a geopolitical adversary in the Cold War context.
The Liberals
minor
Also known as the Liberals, Liberals
Political opponents advocating for expanded government and welfare programs.
Alexander Hamilton
minor
Also known as Alexander Hamilton, Hamilton
Founding Father referenced in debates over federal power and constitutional interpretation.
Communism
minor
Also known as Communism
The ideological system opposed by the narrator as antithetical to freedom.
Ben Franklin
minor
Also known as Ben Franklin
Founding Father cited as an authority on frugality and limited government.
Gomulka
minor
Also known as Gomulka, the Gomulka
Polish communist leader mentioned in context of Soviet bloc dissent.
