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).
I think the judicial decisions made by the Supreme Court regarding Abortion, pornography and religious education gave the New Right a strong platform to contest the emergence of social liberty. The 1960's saw a dramatic shift in pop culture and attitudes regarding drugs, sex, alcohol, music, freedom etc; this social movement brought about a rising pressure for political change regarding 'American values' that were seen as 'traditional', 'patriarchal' and 'conservative'. The social reforms born out of the 1960's don't necessarily explain why the New Right became such a strong force in 1980 – to some extent these social reforms obscure the reason given America's step toward 'liberalism' and ' secularism'. However, judicial decisions regarding abortion enabled the New Right to argue that these shifts in American society were leading to a national decaying of American identity… this kind of argument asks the American to consider the ethos of issues like Abortion and question whether the social movement of the 1960s contradicts American nationalism.
ReplyDeleteKirsty Allen
22655654
The second half of twentieth century America brought an immense change within the ideals and values of many American citizens. For youth in particular, protesting became a popular way of voicing discontent with social norms, and at the time controversial topics such as sex, drugs, feminism and music were becoming increasingly popular. I believe that the rise of the 'New Right' was an opposing reaction to this new movement at the time, which would have been seen as immoral and nontraditional by the more conservative population of America. The New Right was born out of frustration with the new direction of the United States, trying to introduce a more religious and conservative way of life to prevent things such as abortion and the feminist movement.
ReplyDeleteCeline Hutchinson
The latter half of the 20th century was a great time for change in America. There had been a shift of popular culture in the 1960s to include, and almost normalise things such as drugs, sex and ‘free love’, as well as legal changes such as the Civil Rights Act and the end of segregation. The decisions made by the Supreme Court on things such as Abortion, pornography and the teaching of religion in schools, gave the New Right a platform to argue against the rise of social liberty and rebel against these changing ideas. The New Right were all for keeping the status quo and many Americans saw this as a good thing. It helped that they had a strong religious base, and America, at that time, was such a very religious country. I think the influence of the New Right had a lot to do with the fact that people can often be quite opposed to change. The 60s and onwards saw a lot of change, and the New Right gathered support in its attempt to stop this.
ReplyDelete-Lauren Whitford.
Whilst the legislation seemed changing attitudes in America on the matter of segregation. The success of Nixon’s Southern strategy suggests that many in the South was still a Republican heartland who felt very uneasy about desegregation. Desegregation busing in the North did not so much help to promote diversity as it motivated middle-class whites to move into ethnically homogenous areas where they felt safe.
ReplyDeleteThere was also a sizeable backlash against the cultural changes that occurred in the ‘60s, particularly the Sexual Revolution. Promiscuity, homosexuality and atheism were all seen as a growing spectre over the American public, and right-wing groups who sought to protect traditional Christian family values gathered much support from this backlash.
Many Americans were appalled at the sheer level of protesting against the Vietnam War, not to mention the way Vietnam veterans were treated. In the minds of conservative voters it seemed as though the country were being taken over by young, left-leaning college students who didn’t know how the real world functioned. Put simply, the New Right were a counter-reaction to the New Left and its lasting influence.
The New Right became a strong force in American life as a response to the radicalism and rise of the New Left in the 1960s. Where the New Left was seen by conservatives to symbolize the disintegration of American mainstream values, the New Right was seen to reinforce the traditional family unit and traditional sexual and gender norms. Throughout the sexual revolution of the 1960s, American mainstream values were challenged with the rise of feminism and the acceptance of promiscuity and homosexuality within a rapidly growing Left. However backlash against the New Left emerged from the conservative population where court decisions regarding abortion gave the New Right a platform to argue that American values were disintegrating. Furthermore, for the New Right, religious issues offered an opportunity for the movement to expand and grow in influence in American life.
ReplyDeleteThe New Right's dominance occurred during the 1980s due to it's opposition of the non-conservative movements during the 1960s.
ReplyDeleteThe Sexual Revolution and the protests of the Student Societies began a platform for the New Right to debate for Conservatism. Legislations occurring after these movements particularly Abortion, was the centre for debate during the 1980s. The problems of Affirmative action and the mistreatment of the Vietnam Vetrans for example, appeared to be the final touch to the dominance of the New Right. The strength of the South supporting the New Right movement left a strong impact into American Society. As it would appear that it is a slight return to Conservatism, it must be taken into account that the New Right also drastically changed society and politics.
Tara Crivari
The rise of the new right was a reactionary movement that responded to the social upheaval and revoltionary ideas that endured during the 60s and 70s, including the supreme court upholdng abortion, the rise of the feminist movement, the affirmative action program, LBJ's Great Society, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and disenchantment regarding souring taxes to fund big government. As such, neoconservatives, the religious right and those believing in supply-side economics formed a loose coalition to engage in the political sphere to fund and lobby members of congress. The New Right's success culminated in the election to the presidency of Ronald Reagan in 1981, and is often touted as one of the greatest presidents. Travis Stevens 24165425
ReplyDeleteDuring this time in history, the views and beliefs of Americans were drastically changing. The individuals that wanted more rights and freedoms realized they had influence on key decisions as well and decided to band together, the New Left. The rights and freedoms of minorities were changing and this isolated the one group that previously had all the power, who later formed the New Right. They believed in the “American dream” and segregated schools. They fervently opposed affirmative action and everything it represented. They upheld the Supreme Court’s decision in the Roe vs. Wade (1973) case. The New Right was simply a response to the increase of freedoms and rights in the 1960’s. It was a combination of these factors that lead to the creation of the New Right.
ReplyDeleteThe New Right became a strong force in American Life because they instilled a sense of pride in Americans, a return to glory days. The New Right were wealthy members of society who were utilized as financial backers to Presidential campaigns and as a result they had a lot of influence over society. Although they had radical and often out dated ideas, they still maintained a hold over American politics. The New Right were concerned with the morality of Americans, since the Second World War, television, drugs and sex had poorly influenced Americans and as a result they had become complacent. It was the belief of the new right that the only way to improve the economic situation of America was to return to traditional ideals, to ultimately return to a period of time where America us undeniably powerful.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that the term 'rise to dominance' is used when discussing the emergence of the New Right, seeing as they were [and still are] a relatively small group within the American political landscape; however, it is undeniable that they do exert a substantial amount of influence in the nation's politics. This, I believe, comes from the strong under-current of religious and political conservatism in the country - which, until the 1980s, found no real outlet for its concerns and/or grievances. It must be pointed out, then, that the Deep South is, as a whole, traditionally Democratic in its political leanings; it was only after the Democrats [whether actual or perceived] espoused the causes of affirmative action, feminism, desegregation, promiscuity, and the advancement of homosexuality that the populace decided to vote for the GOP. In other words, the 'rise of the New Right' came about as an attempt by a part of the nation to reassert and/or re-establish the platform for their values and beliefs within the nation's politics - one which they felt was either being toyed with or completely ignored by America's politicians.
ReplyDelete