The rise of conservatism in the USA Essay

In what ways was the Eisenhower era a time of caution and conservatism, and in what ways was it a time of dynamic economic, social, and cultural change?

Post World War II America was a society full of anxiety. In the late 1950s Americans were deeply troubled by so many social shifts. Major changes were occurring both internally and externally. They were in the midst of the Cold War, and were vastly approaching the atomic age. There was a communist scare and fear of Russian expansion. Joseph McCarthy was hunting down major celebrities for their communist involvement and the 'Red Influence' seemed to be everywhere. The move toward suburbia and the growth of multinational corporations were flourishing. People seemed to be pulled in every direction. Another change that would have a major impact on society for years to come was the

The Sixties, by Terry H. Anderson, takes the reader on a journey through one of the most turbulent decades in American life. Beginning with the crew-cut conformity of 1950s Cold War culture and ending with the transition into the uneasy '70s, Anderson notes the rise of an idealistic generation of baby boomers, widespread social activism, and revolutionary counterculture. Anderson explores the rapidly shifting mood of the country with the optimism during the Kennedy years, the liberal advances of Johnson's "Great Society," and the growing conflict over Vietnam that nearly tore America apart. The book also navigates through different themes regarding the decade's different currents of social change; including the anti-war movement, the civil

Before the 1960s Conservatism influence was on a decline. However in the 1960’s the conservative agenda regained support with the rise of Barry Goldwater and Reagan and the decline in Lyndon B. Johnson’s popularity. They emerged from their fervent opposition to modern liberal ideologies. Conservatives most enforced agenda is small government which is contradictory to their belief that America should have a big military. Also, conservatives enforced traditional values made them strong opposers of the 1960s counter-culture.

Liberals had dominated American society for most of the 1900s. The 1960s was widely known for being the age of counterculture, social reforms, and liberals. The era witnessed many advancements like racial equality such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a strong advancement in political liberalism, and a significant increase in the power and influence of government-funded social programs as a result of Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society reforms. Beginning with the election of Nixon, however, followed a gradual return to conservatism whether religiously, politically, or economically. The resurgence of conservatism in American politics and government in the years 1964-2005, was caused in

While the sixties is often painted with the hippie and free love movement there was also a less publicized string of young conservatives popping up everywhere. These conservatives were anti-communism and against big government, they believed in the free market. Lyndon Johnson was elected President in 1964, by a landslide. He was practically unopposed. Barry Goldwater was his competitor, and while Johnson had the JFK assassination on his side, it was Goldwater’s crazy ideas about the Cold War that really made him so undesirable among the people. Extremism just wasn’t okay with the people. An important piece of all this information is that the Democrats won the votes of the “Solid South” during that election, which previously had been dependably Republican states. Race may be one of the largest factors for this. Democrats traditionally had been supporters of the Civil Rights movement, which caused many white southerners to abandon the Democratic Party. While the Goldwater election was the first that this was seen, it was the Nixon election that really took advantage of this. With the “southern strategy” the white men that left the Democratic Party were swooped up and now a part of the Republican Party. Nixon was the Tough on Crime candidate, he also had the anti-hippie movement, the moral conservatives, and the anti-Civil Rights people. Nixon was resting easy, however as the next election drew near disaster for Nixon

As World War Two came to a close, a new American culture was developing all across the United States. Families were moving away from crowded cities into spacious suburban towns to help create a better life for them during and after the baby boom of the post-war era. Teenagers were starting to become independent by listing to their own music and not wearing the same style of clothing as their parents. Aside from the progress of society that was made during this time period, many people still did not discuss controversial issues such as divorce and sexual relations between young people. While many historians regard the 1950s as a time of true conservatism at its finest, it could really be considered a time of true progression in the

For the second image, a crude and neutral example (reason why the colors black and white are used) of the map of the United States is shown. Within it, is the characteristic button of rewind, emphasizing in this way the most emblematic motto within the election campaign of the Republican party in the 2016 elections: "Make America Great Again."

During the post WWII period in America, the face of the nation changed greatly under the presidency of Truman and Eisenhower. America underwent another era of good feelings as they thought themselves undefeatable and superior over the rest of the world. Communism was the American enemy and American sought to rid the world of it. Because of the extreme paranoia caused by Communism, conformity became an ideal way to distinguish American Culture from the rest. Conformity became a part of every American Life to a large extent. It became evident through the medium of culture, society and politics throughout the era of the 50s.

Coontz analyses both the weakness and strengths of the period and takes a ‘sarcastic’ approach. She is able to indicate the ideal time for the Americans pointing positive outlooks such as education, birthrate, economic expansion, jobs, family oriented culture and social environment. Her weakness about the myth of the 1950s includes teen pregnancies, poverty, marital problems, discrimination, racial and gender inequalities. She attacks the political system who continues states the goods of the 1950s but the politicians have not created and advanced the ideals and optimism of the 1950s. She categorically attacks the perceptions of people saying the 1950s was good even though when compared to the freedoms and engagements of these days, the 1950s’ thinkers are misplaced. The following quote summarizes her perspective, “This confidence that almost everyone could look forward to a better future stands in sharp contrast to how most contemporary Americans feel, and it explains why a period which many people were much worse off than today sometimes still looks like a better period for families than our own” (p. 40). Based on the historical and available information, Coontz argument may suffice because currently, nobody thinks about the future since the economic and social challenges are immense. The optimism is absent while challenges of discrimination, prejudice are fading. Hence, the article cleverly covers the

The country was in turmoil, desperately looking for a new direction and leadership. The violence at the 1968 Democrat convention in Chicago frightened the country. Other causes included the anti-war movement,

Throughout recent history, the fifties proved to be the most interesting to me because not only was it a time of great economic expansion; but it was also known as a period where current citizens and leaders of the United States frowned upon. The “Golden Age” proved to be one of the most outbreaking movements of the industrial age. This period in American history gave citizens of the United States access to a better standard of living, transformed American agriculture, and brought the rise of the suburban nation. Remarkably, the employment rate for women had skyrocketed during the year of 1955 proving that

United States Presidential Election is not directly elected by the voters, but electoral candidate votes. That is the reason why over half voters vote Hillary Clinton but Donald J. Trump became the 45th president of the United States. Massachusetts supported Democratic party in the presidential election 2016 with more than sixty percent approval rating without a doubt. In history from 1928 to 2016, Massachusetts has voted 19 times to democratic party and four times to Republic party. Why Massachusetts becomes a real deep-blue state in just shy of past two hundred years？There are three texts illustrate this phenomenon from historical factor and human factor.

Beginning with Nixon and continuing with Reagan after the radical changes of American culture in the sixties and seventies, Americans would begin to shift towards more conservative ideas unsure of the rapid radical change. In the 1994 mid term elections, the American people would elect a congress of mostly conservatives for the first time in nearly 50 years. At the core of this success would be the Contract with America. A set of promises and goals devised by conservative congressional representative Newt Gingrich. In 2000 the Republicans (modern conservative party) would retain the Congress and capture the White House. Conservatism has been a leading political ideology since the inception of the United States to

The 1960s was crammed full of many impacting events and important figures. From Hitchcock releasing one of the greatest thrillers of all time, Psycho, to Marilyn Monroe’s untimely death, to the infamous Woodstock festival. This era changed history completely and made the United States think twice about its youth. Events of the 1960s are still impacting our country as we know it today. The sudden pull from the conservative ‘50s changed America’s views on all aspects of life, including fashion, entertainment, and lifestyles.