Chapter 28
Resurgence of
Conservatism
Section 1 The New
Conservatism
 1970s American politics dominated by
Liberals
 Conservative ideas began growing in
1970s
 Ronald Reagan elected president-1980, a
strong conservative.
Liberalism
 Liberals believe government should
regulate the economy to protect people
from the power of large corporations and
wealthy elites.
 Also believe that the Federal Government
should give the wealthier people more
taxes to help out unfortunate people.
Conservatism
 Conservatives generally have a fundamental
distrust of the power of government, particularly
the federal government.
 Believe government power should be split up
between branches, split between the state and
federal levels.
 Believe free enterprise system is best way to
organize society.
 Also, believe that social problems result from
issues of morality and character.
Conservatism and the Cold War
 1930’s-New Deal- conservatives lost much
influence in national politics
 Support for conservative ideas began to
revive for two major reasons:
1. The struggle against communism revived the
debate about the role of the government in the
economy.
2. Many Americans viewed the Cold War in
religious terms.
Conservatives Organize
 1955 - William F. Buckley founded a new
conservative magazine called National Review,
which revived conservative ideas in U.S.
 1960 - some 90 young conservative leaders met
at Buckley’s family estate and founded Young
Americans for Freedom (YAF)
 Barry Goldwater, a conservative, won the
Republican nomination for president, but
President Johnson won re-election in a landslide.
The Rise of the Sunbelt
 American society moved decisively in a
conservative direction after 1964 election.
 Conservatives in the South voted for Democrats
and conservatives in West voted for Republicans.
Liberals from the Northeast pulled both parties
toward liberal policies.
 The movement South and West was called the
Sunbelt.
Sunbelt Conservatism
 Rust Belt- Industry in the Northeast was in
decline.
 This region had more unemployed people than
any other, and its cities were often congested and
polluted.
 Early 1970’s- “Sagebrush Rebellion”- rebellion
against federal environmental regulations
limiting ranching, controlling water use, and
restricted development of region’s natural
resources
Suburban Conservatism
 1960’s and 1970’s- many Americans moved to
suburbs to escape chaos of cities.
 1970’s-Rapid inflation caused the buying power
of average middle-class families to shrink, but
taxes still high.
 1978- Howard Jarvis, a conservative activist,
launched first successful tax revolt in California
(Proposition 13, a referendum on the state ballot
that greatly reduced property taxes).
The Religious Right
 Roe v. Wade (legalized abortion), greatly concerned them.
 Supreme Court start limiting praying in schools, also more
rights for accused.
 Feminist movement and the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment)
seemed an assault, to the religious right, on the traditional
family.
 Protestant ministers, such as Billy Graham and Oral Roberts,
built national following.
 Late 1970s- about 70 million Americans described themselves
as “born again” Christians.
 Televangelists- Marion “Pat” Robertson founded the Christian
Broadcasting Network and Jerry Farwell used his television
show The Old-Time Gospel Hour to form the “Moral
Majority” movement
A New Coalition
 The Watergate scandal, high taxes, and special interest
politics had undermined many Americans’ faith in their
government.
 Rising unemployment, rapid inflation and the energy
crisis had shaken their confidence in the economy.
 Riots, crime, and drug abuse suggested that society itself
was falling apart.
 Many Americans wanted stability and a return to better
times.
 For some, the new conservatism and Ronald Reagan
offered hope to a distressed nation.