Reddit reviews The Ideology of Slavery: Proslavery Thought in the Antebellum South, 1830–1860 (Library of Southern Civilization)

> Nagel argues that the alt-right has abandoned the religious basis early conservatism is built on. Instead, they deal in wholesale power exchanges with no underlying "truth" to form as the bedrock

Many would argue that the religious basis of conservatism was always just a mask for power. Cobb's Away Down South, Faust's The Ideology of Slavery, Fox-Genovese's The Mind of the Master Class and many other works show how inextricably the religion in the South was bound up in justifying and preserving slavery. George Wallace's opposition to desegregation was also heavily based on his religious convictions. Same for the Klan, both the 19th century and 20th century incarnations.

So whether the alt-right represents a departure from a fundamental aspect of conservatism, vs just the putting aside of a pious facade once it was no longer necessary, is a matter of some contention. There are of course strains of religion that were not about power, but about justice and compassion, but that strain was always picked up by the liberals. Reinhold Niebuhr, for example, or even, more currently, the faith of Jimmy Carter.

Edit (added):

Consider who is often offered as more or less the poster-boy for intellectual, dignified conservatism, William F. Buckley. Here is a 1965 debate between Buckley and James Baldwin. It's about an hour in length, but I would challenge anyone to watch it and conclude that Buckley's position was about principle, rather than privilege or power. The alt-right may be more crass and sophomoric at times, but I don't think they represent much that is actually new. They represent new tactics and marketing, but not new values.