Sources over slogans
Follow the influence.
A documented, interactive history of the people, institutions, money, policy, legal networks, organizing systems and personnel pipelines that shaped modern conservative governing power — from the Goldwater era to 2026.
The big picture
How the machine was built.
The overview is a map of accumulated infrastructure — not a claim that one person designed or controls every part of it.
New: interactive archive
Start in 1955. Follow it forward.
The archive now lets you move through the same research four ways.
Timeline
1955–2026
Watch institutions accumulate across generations instead of starting with one presidency.
Who’s Who
35 documented nodes
People, organizations, projects and legal events — each with sources and a reason for inclusion.
Relationship map
Click the nodes
Open any major node and inspect the exact relationships attached to it.
Trace
Pick two names
The site finds the shortest published path using only documented relationship edges.
Research standard
The facts do not need extra heat.
The site is designed to be useful to someone who agrees with the people on the map, someone who opposes them, or someone who simply wants to understand how political infrastructure works.
Direct evidence
Primary records, official statements, filings, tax records, court decisions or strong reporting establish the relationship.
Explain the reasoning
When facts support a broader conclusion, the site labels the interpretation rather than presenting it as a directly proved fact.
Leave gaps open
Missing evidence stays missing. The archive does not invent a bridge because a pattern would look cleaner with one.
Show conflict
Material disagreement stays visible until the record resolves it.
Follow the names, then check the receipts.
The interactive archive is the front door. The Research and Sources pages hold the deeper notes, caveats and source standards behind it.