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  • Essay / The Rise of Conservatism in America Between 1968 and 1980

    Between 1968 and 1980, a way of thinking called New Conservatism began to gain prominence for a combination of reasons. These reasons are, but not limited to, political unrest, horrible economic conditions, and the rise of a liberal society among young American citizens. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe new conservatism has emerged in politics due to the American people's general distrust of big government due to the scandal of Watergate. Nixon's betrayal of the American people and Ford's pardon caused Americans to lose confidence in the integrity of their government. The continued failure of the U.S. government in foreign and domestic policy has caused American citizens to retreat to conservative ideals. People were particularly unhappy with the Carter presidency. According to the Republican Platform of 1980, “…as many humiliations, insults and defeats as in the last four years…”. They were extremely disappointed in the way their government was functioning. Additionally, the government began to interfere in events that did not require government assistance. Barry Goldwater, a Republican senator, asserts that "the deep evil is that the government engages in activities in which it has no legitimate business." He shares his thoughts on the tremendous effect the government had on their daily lives. Many young liberals also shared this opinion. They thought this interference was not worth it. As Milton Friedman, stated that "...several decades of experience with government intervention...which of the major reforms of recent decades, if any, has achieved their goals?" » People are beginning to feel stifled by the oppressive government while no real, effective change is taking place. By the 1970s, the economy was in shambles. The unemployment rate was soaring while inflation increased at the same rate. This period, called "stagflation", was mainly caused by the difference in oil prices in the Middle East. To counter this, the Ford administration unveiled the WIN campaign, which did not work as it was supposed to. Essentially, the WIN campaign was not about reforming any economic policy, but about encouraging citizens to budget their money and advocate for that policy to others. This ultimately came to nothing and stagflation continued. Once President Reagan was elected, he implemented a system called Reaganomics. Another term used to refer to this phenomenon is “trickle down economics”. This law reduced taxes on businesses in order to increase their spending. Under this system, the economy of the 1980s prospered thanks to Reagan. This greatly elevated people's opinion of him. However, Friedman believed that “…cooperation through the free market…” was the key to continued progress in the United States. He was not interested in Keynesian economics and did not think it was an effective system. Social conservatives of the era lived in fear of what they perceived as a deconstruction of American family values. Christian and Protestant groups were formed to defend the teachings of the Bible in order to enforce the way of life. Furthermore, thanks to the new legality of birth control, women were able to explore their sexuality freely and did not have to confine themselves. Roe v. Wade legalized abortion, an action that angered many social conservatives, who claimed 1980.