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).
One theory of the emergence of the new right was the angry white backlash due to the radicalisation of the 1960s in America. As the American conservative believed in traditional sexual and gender roles, religious faith and did not support society’s minority groups, the recent Civil Rights Movements, feminist movements and new legislation following these events would have stirred resent from the New Right. However, another theory is the ‘sleeping giant’ idea; that the new right always existed but was not noticed. One example to substantiate this claim would be the Klu Klux Klan of the 1920s, which involved both male and female members. Ultimately there were a range of factors which contributed to the rise of the New Right.
ReplyDeleteA combination of white backlash, ideological exhaustion of liberation and the role of the Reagan government led to the New Right becoming such a strong force in American life. The loosening of traditional values in the 1960s, the civil rights movement, the feminist movement and debate about abortion provoked the New Right to act to protect their belief in traditional gender and sexual roles in America. Additionally, the Reagan Government pandering to the values and views of the New Right encouraged them to voice their beliefs about government welfare, abortion and the role of females in society. Reagan’s endorsement alongside their voice in debates of the time, led to the New Right becoming such a strong force in American life.
ReplyDeleteThe two main reasons of the rise of the New Right were social and economic. Socially, Americans enjoyed the conservative values of the New Right which were of great contrast to the liberal movements of the 1960-70s. Dionne argues that it was not the religious grouping of the evangelicals that enabled Reagan to be elected, but rather that these evangelicals where also likely to be white, Southern and conservative. Economically, the idea of small and non-intrusive government was favoured by a society that was suffering under inflation and low-employment. In Reagan's inaugural address, he advocated a reduction in government spending and greater rights for individual states.
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ReplyDeleteThere are two reasons why the New Right rose to power with such force. Socially, a conservative backlash to the liberal radicalism of the 1960s introduced a renewed desire in traditional values based on the family, traditional gender roles and religion came to the forefront of American life. Economically, Reagan introduced tax cuts and an increase in military spending which presented a new sense of optimism, as the state was facing a greater national debt than ever before and growing trade deficit.
ReplyDeleteThe New Right emerged as a political force as a response to the social and political changes experienced in the 1960s and 1970s. The 1960s and 1970s saw the civil rights movement (for minorities and the LGBT community), feminism and relaxing of sexual attitudes towards pre-marital sex. The New Right through groups such as the Moral Majority protested these changes in preference of Traditional Christian values. The New Right argued against homosexual marriage and abortion and favoured traditional gender roles for men and women in the household. They felt the Bible and Christian teachings needed a bigger presence in congress on moral decisions. The other key aspect of the New Right were the neoconservatives, who were strictly anti-communist and argued for small government and low taxes as they felt government initiatives were largely failures. This was reflected by Ronald Reagan’s words ““Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem.”
ReplyDeleteThe New Right emerged due to the a number of changes in American society dating back as far as the 1930's. However, there is no one definitive reason as to the emergence of the New Right. It was a combination of factors, including the frustrations felt by some Americans over the granting of civil rights to African Americans, the heightened involvement of the Federal government in society and the intense period of liberalism occurring in the 1960's, that allowed many different people throughout America to relate to the conservative ideals endorsed by the New Right. Dionne demonstrates this with his claim that Ronald Reagan did not win solely from the votes of the Moral Majority, indicating a number of different kinds of people supported the New Right, therefore supporting its rise in popularity.
ReplyDeleteThe rise of the ‘new right’ in American society has been blamed on many social and economic factors. The liberation of sexuality, civil rights and increase of liberal ideas of the 1960s caused many Conservative Americans rejected these movements and found the Moral Majority movement supported and represented their ideals and beliefs. Many Republican politicians; especially Ronald Regan, recognized the huge voting power that Conservative America held and played to their morals. Economically speaking, Conservative America typically advocated small government, low taxes, and increase of military spending. This was something that Regan advocated under the Republican Ticket and partly the reason he became so renowned and loved by Middle America.
ReplyDeleteThe New Right rose to power as a result of predominantly social and economic factors. The group comprised of ultra- conservative business people and Evangelicals. Evangelicals played a large role in bringing the New Right into the public domain. They were concerned with the loosening of ‘American morals’ and ‘values’, and strongly argued that there should be a return to biblical principles. A catalyst for their outburst was the Roe v Wade decision to legalize abortion. The change of law occurred in a time of feminist movements and sexual promiscuity, which further pushed evangelicals to re-enter the political arena to have their voice heard. The powerful, ultra-conservative and somewhat radical nature of the New Right was recognised by president Reagan, who managed to appease the group and gain their votes, without alienating the rest of the American population.
ReplyDeleteThe New Right became such a dominant force in America late in the 20th Century due to a culmination of factors. Socially, a conservative backlash to the liberal radicalism of the 1960s saw the New Right trying to protect their belief of traditional gender and family roles as well as the religious faith in apposing the argument to legalise abortion. Sick and tired of having the rights of the minorities put before theirs, the New Right put their faith in Reagan as he appealed to their conservative values and encouraged them to voice their opinions about government welfare. Moreover, some argue the 'sleeping giant' theory, an idea that the new right had always existed but had never been noticed.
ReplyDeleteThe New Right emerged throughout the mid-late 20th Century due to a number of reasons which culminated throughout the century. A backlash against an increasing rise in liberal politics since FDR's president and a cultural revolution and civil rights movement advocating over-representation challenging traditional Conservative values marked the movement. Further disillusionment against an increase in big government spending and a changing political and economic landscape saw the need for a new voice for the right of centre. President Reagan recognised the need, harnessed the collective voice and largely contributed to the success of the movement.
ReplyDeleteAmerica in the mid-late 20th Century saw an emergence of The New Right. This political alteration occurred because of numerous reasons, particularly in the social and economic sphere. Socially, the New Right was celebrated for its conservative nature following the liberalism of the 60s and 70s. Evangelicals performed a key role in the development of this new political era by encouraging the return of more 'biblical' influence to society. In terms of economical incentives, the Conservative approach featured cuts to tax and an increase in military funding. Reagan stood at the forefront of the New Right, and was welcomed by not only the Moral Majority but by many more. Therefore, the New Right arose during this time because of the newfound hope for lowing the American debt under a conservative leadership, and an end to the liberal revolution of earlier decades.
ReplyDeleteThe rise of the new right in the latter half of the 20th century can be explained as a reaction to the liberalism of the 1960's. Conservatives were concerned with the slackening of American morals, which they saw as the backbone of a good society. The Evangelicals were the driving force of this new right, with the decision to legalise abortion in the 'Roe vs. Wade' case angering many conservatives. Economically, the new right drove an increase in military spending, as seen in Reagan's 'Star Wars' program, and a decrease in taxes. Thus, Reagan was the perfect man for conservatives to put their faith in.
ReplyDeleteThe rise of the new right in the 1970's is typically explained as a backlash of conservatism in response to the liberal radicalism which characterised the 60's. Conservatives were politically apposed to the erosion of traditional values which the left appropriated. Female, gay and civil rights, anti-war movements, counter-cultural ideals etc, were notions that the right generally disagreed with and so the 70's marked their response - administered largely by a return to biblical values, which had been somewhat neglected in the previous decade. Reagan largely represented this movement. Further, his economical reforms evoked a new sense of optimism for the american people.
ReplyDeleteA number of changes in American society created the grounds for the emergence of the New Right. However, like most radical social changes and movements, a single cause or effect cannot be pinpointed to further understanding of the movement. Certainly, it can be seen that liberal radicalism during the 1960s created a conservative backlash and retreat back to previous traditions of gender roles and family life. Radical civil rights changes including those of race, sexuality and gender, however particularly granting African Americans the right to vote, would have heightened this conservative peak in old beliefs. An increase of military spending coupled with tax cuts by Reagan would have cemented these conservative beliefs, as these were traditional conservative political views and ideals.
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