How did neoliberalism go from fringe idea to ruling ideology in the United States? In this deep-dive episode of Explaining History, we trace the hidden rise of America’s most influential right-wing think tanks—Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, Manhattan Institute and more—from their birth in the 1970s oil-crisis chaos to their role in dismantling the New Deal order.
You’ll discover:
• The 1971 Powell Memo that sparked a billionaire-funded “war of ideas”.
• How a handful of corporate dynasties (Koch, Olin, Coors) bankrolled institutions that turned think-tank papers into front-page policy.
• The media pipeline that quietly replaced the post-war social-democratic consensus with free-market orthodoxy.
• Why these think tanks succeeded where state propaganda failed—by cloaking ideology in “independent expertise”.
• The transatlantic playbook now shaping politics on both sides of the pond.
If you’ve ever wondered why inequality keeps rising even as growth stalls, this episode unmasks the invisible architects of modern America. Essential listening for historians, activists, journalists and anyone who wants to understand how ideas—funded in secret—became the law of the land.
*****STOP PRESS*****
I only ever talk about history on this podcast but I also have another life, yes, that of aspirant fantasy author and if that's your thing you can get a copy of my debut novel The Blood of Tharta, right here:
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