Chapter 23

Daily question

• The largest religious group within the social conservative movement was evangelical?

23 section 1

• Objectives1. Explain the development of regional

economic blocks around the world.2. Describe the development of Middle East

terrorism.3. Explain how discontent with the government

led to a conservative shift in America.

The major U.S. political parties in the late 20th century were the Democrats and Republicans.

Democrats were often labeled liberals.

Republicans were usually conservatives.

Liberals believed government should:• support social

programs for the disadvantaged.

• protect the rights of minorities.

• regulate industry.• rely on diplomacy to

solve international problems.

Conservatives believed government should:

• limit wasteful spending on social programs.

• reduce taxes.• deregulate industry.• rely on a strong national

defense and actively fight communism in other countries.

• The revival of conservative ideas occurred for two reasons, both related to the Cold War.

1. Some Americans felt that liberal ideas were leading the U.S. towards communism. Because communism rejected religion, Americans with a deep religious faith saw communism as a struggle over values.

2. Liberalism, which focused on economic welfare, lost support of many religious Americans who turned to conservatism.

• In 1955 William F. Buckley began a new conservative magazine called the National Review. The magazine revived conservative ideas.

• By 1964 the new conservative movement had enough influence to enable conservative Barry Goldwater to win the Republican nomination for president. President Johnson defeats Goldwater, and the American political climate moved decisively in a conservative direction.

• During WWII, many Americans moved south and west to take war factory jobs. This movement to the South and West, known as the Sunbelt, continued after the war.

• As the Sunbelt’s economy expanded, Americans living there began to view the federal government differently than people in the Northeast.

• By 1980 the Sunbelt population surpassed that of the Northeast, giving conservative regions of the country more electoral votes and more influence. Southerners shifted their votes to Republicans.

• Many Americans looked to conservative ideas out of fear that society had lost touch with traditional values during the 1960s and 70s.

A resurgent conservative movement called the New Right emerged, made up largely of Republicans.

• the Vietnam War

• urban riots.

The Democratic Party unraveled in part because of

Public faith in the federal government was weakened by

Conservatives argued that the government taxed too heavily and complained about unfunded mandates.

They also thought that President’s Johnson’s promise of a Great Society increased poverty and even contributed to the decline of traditional family values.

• The Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which made abortion a constitutional right, and the Supreme Court decisions to limit prayer in schools shocked deeply religious Americans.

• Religious conservatives included many different faiths, with the largest being evangelical Protestant Christians.

• After WWII, a religious revival began with Protestant ministers like Billy Graham, creating a national following.

• Television enabled Christian evangelicals to reach nationwide audiences.

•

• Televangelists included Pat Robertson, who founded the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and Jerry Falwell who used his show The Old Time Gospel Hour to create the movement he called the Moral Majority.

Republicans also benefited from population trends. The Democratic stronghold in northern cities weakened.

After civil rights legislation was championed by Democrats in the 1960s, many white southerners became Republicans.

The Road to the White House

• The New conservative coalition of voters shared the belief that American society had lost its way.

• American had lost faith in their government, lost confidence in the economy, and longed for stability and a return to a better time. Ronald Reagan offered hope to these conservative voters.

• Ronald Reagan worked as a broadcaster and actor, which helped him with public speaking and his image.

• Reagan had been a Democrat and a supporter of the New Deal, but during his time as the president of the Screen Actors Guild he began shifting to conservative ideas. Barry Goldwater asked Reagan to speak in a televised broadcast.

• Reagan caught the attention of several wealthy entrepreneurs, who convinced him to run for governor of California in 1966.

• He was reelected in 1970, and ten years later won the Republican nomination for president.

The 1980, the Republican presidential nominee, Ronald Reagan asked:

Are you better of today than you were four years ago?

Most people said, “No.”

.

• Reagan's campaign for the 1980 presidential election appealed to Americans who were frustrated with the economy and a weakened nation.

• He promised to cut taxes and increase defense spending. He won the election with nearly 51 percent of the popular vote and 489 electoral votes.

The race for the presidency in 1980 was close.

Reagan tipped the balance in his favor during the one and only televised debate against Democratic incumbent

Jimmy Carter.

In 1980, the conservatives were back.

The Republicans achieved the majority in the Senate for the first time in 25 years.