The Cold War Conspiracy Theory That Shaped the Modern GOP

The last four years have felt very strange. Political radicalism in America is resurgent. Movements like the Oath Keepers, Qanon, and the Proud Boys spread weird memes and misinformation online, fought Antifa in the streets, and stormed the Capitol on January 6.

Political radicals with strange beliefs shunned by much of the mainstream aren’t a new phenom…