8.4: Analyze the causes and consequences of the resurgence of the conservative movement, including social and cultural changes of the 1960s and 1970s, Supreme Court decisions on integration and abortion, the economic and social policies of the Reagan administration, and the role of the media.

 Has been in constant conflict throughout US history  1920s-1930s and 1960s-1970s  Political positions span a continuum  Conservatives on the far right  Liberals on the far left  Moderates in the middle  Most political positions are either social (cultural) or fiscal (economic)  Political parties address many issues so members of a party may not hold the exact position on every issue  Parties often swing with public opinion to become more conservative or liberal in order to reflect the concerns of voters

 Differences in conservatives and liberals in the 1980s developed as a result of responses to major 20 th century events  Great Depression, New Deal, Civil Rights Movement, and Great Society  Social upheavals of the 1960s strengthened the appeal of conservatism

 Conservatives  Large federal government threatens individual liberties  Majority of governing should be left to the states  People should be responsible for their own well-being  Do NOT support the extension of welfare state ▪ Believe it encourages people to become permanently dependent ▪ Programs are too costly  Liberals  Federal government should play an active role in the protection of liberties and in the welfare of citizens  Government should protect minorities from local prejudices  Advocate for government programs to aid those who are unable to care for themselves

 Brown v. Board of Education decision triggered the modern civil rights movement  Southern Conservative backlash was fueled by TV reports of race riots in the North and West  Johnson’s “Great Society” programs were seen by conservatives as a way of helping blacks at the expense of whites, despite the fact that many whites benefited from the programs  Targeted anti-poverty programs and affirmative action  Believed programs were too expensive and increased reverse-racism

 Women’s rights movement challenged conservative ideals about the proper role of women  Conservatives were angered over the Roe v. Wade decision and sparked a “right to life” movement to make abortions illegal again  Liberals believe that the individual should have the right to make decisions about their health and generally support a woman’s right to choose  Most conservatives opposed the Equal Rights Amendment while most liberals supported it  President Reagan named first woman to Supreme Court-Sandra Day O’Conner

 Vietnam intensified the generation gap between youth (15-30) and their parents( 30s and up)  Conservatives- “Hawks”  Liberals- “Doves”  Anti-war protests angered conservatives  Fall of Vietnam to communists increased conservatives’ anti-communist stance and fear that America was losing its global power  Sexual revolution, increased drug use, and rising divorce rate caused conservatives to worry about the decline in traditional “family values”

 Nixon was elected in ‘68 on a campaign to restore “law and order” amid social turmoil  Used the “southern strategy” to broaden the appeal of the Republican party  New Right: new wave of fiscal and social conservatism  Businessmen who opposed environmental protections as limiting economic freedom  Social conservatives who opposed abortion  Fundamental evangelicals who wanted to reinforce morality

 Evangelical churches became the cornerstone of the growing conservative movement  Televangelists and media personalities of the New Right used TV and radio to reach millions  24 hour news cycle and political talk shows increased the gap between the parties and the sense of partisanship in America

 Watergate Scandal  Nixon administration covered up a break-in at the Democratic headquarters and Nixon resigned as President  Gerald Ford took over as president and pardoned Nixon  Wasn’t able to address major problems  Democrat Jimmy Carter wins presidency in ’76

 Carter administration was unable to fix the major economic problems that the nation faced  Double digit inflation  Energy Crisis  Problems eroded middle-class prosperity and strengthened appeal of fiscal conservatism  Also failed in negotiations in the Iran Hostage Crisis

 Elected in ’80 amid growing concerns about the economy and America’s weakened global power  His patriotism and can-do attitude appealed to conservatives who were hoping for social and economic change  Iranian hostages were released on the day of Reagan’s inauguration bolstered his support

 Reaganomics: Supply-Side Economics  Cutting taxes of the wealthy to encourage investment and the creation of jobs  Cutting government spending on social programs  Referred to as “Trickle-Down” theory in the belief that money that the wealthy invested would eventually make its way into the hands of the poor  Fiscal conservatives hailed Reaganomics as America’s economic savior

 Liberals argued that America’s economic well-being depended on the ability of all people to consume goods  They believed in demand-side economics  Increased demand will prompt businesses to produce more and hire more workers  Wealthy should pay more taxes and tax cuts should go to middle and lower classes who will used their extra money to consume more goods  Extra spending would lead to more investment, jobs, and economic prosperity

 Liberals argue that the federal government should stimulate the economy during hard times through deficit spending (spending borrowed money)  Conservatives believe that the government should balance the budget and reduce spending during hard times

 Reagan administration limited enforcement of regulation on businesses and banks  Supported by economic conservatives who viewed regulation as an economic constraint  Liberals tended to support regulation as a means of protecting consumers  Also limited enforcement of environmental protections  Conservatives argued that jobs were more important than environment and denied the impact of pollution  Liberals argued that we could have jobs and protect the environment

 Conservatives rejoiced in Reagan’s hard-line against the Soviet Union and increased defense spending  Conservatives credit Reagan’s policies with ending the Cold War and dissolving the Soviet Union  Liberals credit the fall of the Soviet Union to internal economic and social problems and changes in Soviet leadership

 Reaganomics, defense spending, and globalization greatly impacted economics  Budget deficits tripled the national debt  Failure of deregulated businesses led to massive bailouts that added to the debt  Neither conservatives nor liberals addressed the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs  New jobs were mostly low-paying and resulted in low tax revenues  The gap between the rich and poor widened

 Reagan successfully connected conservatism to economic growth and traditional values and liberalism to wasteful spending and huge government  Liberals tried to counter this image by portraying themselves as the champions of the middle class claimed that it was the government’s job to protect them