The Hoover Institution invites you to a public recording of Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson The Intellectual Odyssey of James Burnham featuring Stephen Kotkin on November 18, 2026 from 4:30-6:00 pm.
In 1941, James Burnham published The Managerial Revolution, the book that made him famous. It introduced a theoretical framework that is enjoying a renaissance today among analysts across the political spectrum. Join us for a discussion of this pioneering work and James Burnham’s enduring influence on American politics.
Showcasing
The James Burnham Papers, 1928-1983
James Burnham (1905–1987) was an influential postwar conservative intellectual. Educated at Princeton and Oxford, he became a philosophy professor at New York University and, in the 1930s, an active Trotskyist. His decisive break with Trotsky in 1940 set him on a new path: the following year he published The Managerial Revolution, a landmark of political theory. Burnham went on to serve as a U.S. intelligence officer during and after World War II. In 1955, he became a founding editor of National Review, with which he was affiliated for the rest of his life.
The Hoover Institution Library & Archives will present “James Burnham: Political Theorist / Conservative Influencer,” a pop-up display of items from the Burnham papers, available to view before and after the event.
Hosted by
Peter M. Robinson is the Murdoch Distinguished Policy Fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he writes about business and politics and hosts Hoover's video series Uncommon Knowledge™.
Featuring
Stephen Kotkin is the Kleinheinz Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and a senior fellow (joint) at Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. He is also the Birkelund Professor in History and International Affairs emeritus at Princeton, where he taught for 33 years.
