Chapter 30The Revival of Conservatism, 1980-1992.ppt

Chapter 30The Revival of Conservatism, 1980-1992 The American People, 6th ed. The Conservative Transformation The New Politics The adaptation of conservatism was not limited to America, it was a world-wide phenomena in the 1980s Conservatives seized on Thomas Jefferson’s maxim: “Government is best that governs least” The conservative philosophy had enormous appeal and covered a broad political spectrum Conservative Leadership Ronald Reagan, running against Jimmy Carter in the 1980 election personified the conservative ideal His eight years as president saw a return to nationalism and consistently high approval ratings for the executive office In 1988 Reagan’s Vice President, George Bush, captured the White House and continued the policies of his former boss An End to Social Reform Civil Rights Republican policies slowed the civil rights movement Regan opposed busing and worked to eliminate affirmative-action programs Women fared somewhat better with high-profile nominations within the federal government The Environmental Movement Public policy of the 1980s and early 90s were discouraging to environmentalists The federal government consistently leased forest lands, wilderness areas, and coastal waters for economic exploitation with little concern for the future Economic and Demographic Change The Changing Nature of Work Technological advances, primarily in the field of automation, had significant impact on the workplace Less people were needed for production jobs and had to retrain for the growing service industry based on computers Although work became less labor intensive, Americans worked longer hours Workers in Transition The trade union movement, always and integral part of American business, faltered as the economy changed to a service-based system Increases in women and young people in the workforce eroded unions even more Farmers were also hurt as growing consolidation meant fewer farms Foreign Policy and the End of the Cold War The End of the Cold War