New Conservatism

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Recommended: Watergate scandal/nixon’s resignation

The Emergence of New Conservatism in the United States The time between 1960 and 1989 was marked by immense changes in American life. Inflation and unemployment rates were on the rise, liberal social movements were taking place across the country calling for women’s and civil rights and a distrust of the government’s ability to maintain the nation was brewing. Through all of these changes, Americans hoped for stability and a return to traditional, religious values to right society. While some may argue that the rise of a new conservatism between 1960 and 1989 came about as a result of economic instability, in reality, the desire for a government that was reliable and strong on both foreign and domestic issues and for a stable society centered …show more content…

Civilians lack of faith in the federal government largely stemmed from the fiascos that were the Watergate scandal under President Nixon and the war in Vietnam. In the particular case of Watergate, because of the President’s involvement in such a high profile and corrupt scandal, Americans no longer felt that they could believe what the President or the government told them, without questioning. This distrust, coupled with the government’s intervention in affairs that many civilians considered to be none of their business, led to a strong distaste for big government among Americans. Barry Goldwater, a conservative senator from Arizona, verbalized Americans’ distrust of big government in 1960 when he said, “the government is engaged in activities in which it has no legitimate business” and the civilians main concern was the, “encroachment of individual freedom by Big Government” (Document 1). Because of the fear of big government and the lack of faith in America’s leaders, many voters turned to conservative candidates that advocated for states’ rights, individualism and, most importantly, the return of a reliable and trustworthy federal

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