The last decades of the 20th Century saw the rise
to dominance of the New Right. Historians have argued why, from economic
turmoil, the rise of the Sunbelt, white backlash, disillusionment with government
welfare programs, or simply the ideological exhaustion of liberalism. Why do
you think the New Right became such a strong force in American life? (100-150
words, by 5pm Friday May 17).
It is easy to see how the idea that they were part of a ‘silent majority’ appealed to those disgruntled by liberalist reforms and the attention given to the protests of “ungrateful” and “disruptive” students. Many New Right followers had grown up in the 40s and 50s with the ideas of discipline, sacrifice, patriarchy and white dominance accepted as the norm. The decreasing prevalence of religious values in the political arena in regards to controversial issues like abortion would have further alienated these people, who felt a need to spread righteousness and stop the work of evil forces in society.
ReplyDeleteThe rise in popularity of liberalism and radicalism in the 1960s was a possible catalyst for the increasing dominance of the American New Right in the later part of the 20th Century. Movements such as feminism and the sexual revolution, and their increasingly larger role in politics left many conservative Americans feeling disenchanted with the government's apparent lack of religious morality and traditionalism. The introduction of the abortion debate into the political spectrum was perhaps one of the major instigators of the rise of the New Right, as evangelists such as Jerry Falwell became more politically involved and the New Right as a movement subsequently emerged in a more prominent way. Perhaps a turning point for American religious ideology, the rise of the New Right and the Evangelist movement portrayed religious thought as less of a preference or lifestyle, and more so an influence in certain American governmental policies.
ReplyDeleteWith the rise of the religious and traditionalist Sunbelt there was a market for a political movement that would follow the values of these evangelicals. The 1960’s was an opportune time for these ideas as the minority liberals began to protest. The privileged, evangelicals became so fed up with these group that they needed a political system that suited their wants and needs, and with this was a majority group and their votes were ripe for the taking. In turn political policy became right sided as right wing politicians got elected into office.
ReplyDeleteThe New Right became dominant in the later part of the 20th Century, as a result in the rise in feminism and to an extent the sexual revolution. As the minority liberal groups witnessed a change in values throughout American Society, they saw the need to reintroduce evangelicalism and encourage the American people to return back to Christian ideals and mentality. The New Right had an influence in politics as many politicians returned Christian roots which had an influence in politics.
ReplyDeleteAmerican conservatism emerged out of a large populace that understood its nation to be a radical, sexually promiscuous, politically intrusive and ‘low moral’ society. The dominance of the liberal movement fostered an angry backlash against sexual radicalism, which included the legal legitimacy of abortion; a scepticism towards civil rights such as the Affirmative Action policy; and embitterment towards a meddling government that implemented such movements. The New Right became a strong force in American society because of the emphasis on individual morality and a return to traditional values. Ronald Reagan’s presidency successfully responded to the dissatisfaction of the New Right by embracing a renewal of morals through the evangelical movement, as well as the implementation of tax-cutting policies of supply-side economics. This, coupled with the severe anathema of communism, influenced many Americans to embrace conservatism as the answer to America’s problems.
ReplyDeleteThe New Right was a response to the 1960's liberalism which witnessed sexual revolution, black nationalism, feminism, counter culture, the Vietnam war, an arms race and political assassinations to name just a few things. The New Right appealed to many people seeking a more conservative approach. For example, for Catholics the New Right emphasised moral and social values, for blue collar voters the New Right appealed to them because they were against student radicals and programs that helped minorities. Another factor that favoured the New Right was Reagan's supply side economic approach (tax cuts which allegedly leads to more growth and money) and reduction in federal government interference. Thus the New Right became a strong force in American life because many people supported a more conservative approach then seen by previous governments.
ReplyDeleteThe increased popularity of radicalism and liberalism in the 1960’s undeniably led to the emergence of the American Right during the Reagan era. The rise of feminism in particular, sparked many right win Americans to re-assess the level of religious morality within politics. The sexual revolution also was a factor, seeing topics such as abortion become central in right wing politics. All of this, in a sense, was harnessed by evangelicals such as Jerry Falwell, who was heavily involved in the emerging New Right and made evangelicalism more integrated into American Government.
ReplyDeleteThe Rise of the New Right would have clearly been a popular change of pace for those that were completely disenchanted with the political landscape. The Civil Rights movement and its successes left many in the South completely aghast, considering that segregation had been such a long and important part of Southern life. This led to the Democrats losing a large part of their political base, and gave Republicans such as Nixon and Reagan ideals to really draw on in garnering Southern political support. Further there was the rise of the feminist movement and the sexual revolution, which posed significant problems to traditional gender roles and moral values. All of these movements provided a breeding ground for angst was only further fuelled by the 'moral majority' of evangelical protestants who pushed the idea that America had lost all religious and moral legitimacy.
ReplyDeleteThe rise of the New Right beginning with Reagan, and perpetuated through Bush Senior and Junior, emerged at least partly due to the abysmal failure of the Democrats during the 1970's. Various oil crises, massive inflation, and hits to the national image due to factors at home - loss of manufacturing, declining income, increasing crime, stagnant economy - and abroad - aftermath of Vietnam, a non progressive situation with communism and the Soviet Union all forced American's to re-evaluate their place in the world, and challenge the idea of American exceptionalism that pervaded for the preceeding century.
ReplyDeleteFor supporters of the New Right, these factors are consistent with the rise of 1960's style liberalism and provide evidence that a shift back towards an older conservatism is needed to get America back on track to its post-War boom age.
The rise of the New Right can be linked to three different groups of people in the US and their backlash to the radical era of the 1960s: the Southern whites, blue-collar workers and Christians/Catholics. The civil rights movement alienated the Southern whites and made them much more critical of Democrat influence in their lives. Blue-collar workers were disgruntled by the rise of student activism and its links to Communism, and the way they were marginalised due to the rise in programs that sought to empower/benefit minority groups. Christians/Catholics were outraged by the emergence of liberal attitudes that were seen as morally wrong and undermining the social fabric of America.
ReplyDeleteThe New Right movement and the rise of the ‘moral majority’ in America was born as a result of the disillusionment that the liberal and radical movements of previous decades created among conservatives. From the 1960s the civil rights movement, feminist movement and welfare programs gained prominence in America. This came much to the ire of many conservative Americans, with the frustration culminating in the rise to prominence of the new right. This was evident through the presidency of Ronald Reagan and George Bush Senior.
ReplyDeleteChurch leaders and conservative politicians saw American society as morally bankrupt and without conscience, and led a movement to correct these problems.
The rise of the New Right throughout the 1980s can be attributed to a combination of social and political factors. Firstly, fear of a loss of consciousness and morality among Americans increased as controversial issues regarding homosexuality and abortion were bared. These fears invoked a reemergence of evangelicalism and encouraged the American people to return back to traditional Christian ideals and values. Furthermore, politics under the Reagan administration stressed an emphasis of individual morality in his support for the Moral Majority. Reagan’s political strategies for tax cuts, supply-side economics and anti-communism reflected political conservatism adherent to the New Right Movement and subsequently, contributed to the powerful force of the movement in American life.
ReplyDeleteConservative forces have always existed within the United States. Following the Second World War, the liberal consensus combined a belief in the activist state with anti-Communist values. As a result of this political context, opposing views were often marginalised. However, with the rise of economic difficulties in the late 1960s-early 1970s and the perceived radicalisation of liberalism, the liberal consensus broke down. It was out of this development that the New Right emerged, with its reaction to the perceived social ills associated with liberalism. By tapping into the growing divisions in American society, the New Right has emerged as a strong force in American politics.
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