ABSTRACT
The emergence of Cold War liberalism has been widely studied and the reshaping of the political Left around the “Vital Center” presented as a substantial and systematic evolution.4 Again, one may assert that the great focus on the New York Intellectuals was instrumental in this development and gave strength to the concept of systematic deradicalization. From “The End of Ideology” (Bell 1960) to “The Last Intellectuals” (Jacoby 1987) and “The Liberal Mind in a Conservative Age” (Pells 1989), most productions offer a partial history obsessed with certain processes of evolution-such as the retreat from socialism-presented as general mechanisms applicable to the 1930s radicals. Seeing the 1950s as the end of a radical journey has obviously been an effective way to strengthen the exceptionalist vision of 1960s radical activism. From this perspective, the ex nihilo formation of the Movement makes sense, and the memories and narratives of activists themselves reinforce this perception.
