The Midwife and Birth of Conservatism in 1960 studies the rise of the dissident minority conservative faction of the Republican Party during the 1950s and early 1960s and its takeover of the Republican Party in 1964. Using established communication theories that define a social movement and a movement leader, the paper attempts to judge if the conservative movement and its leader, Barry Goldwater, can be viewed as, respectively, a full-fledged social movement and social movement leader. The thesis examines its subjects in a rhetorical and historical context by studying the rhetoric and historical events surrounding the ascension of the right and Goldwater\u27s leadership position