How did the 1970s reflect tensions

between the New Left and the New Right?

All in the Family,

Those Were the Days
Boy the way Glen Miller played
Songs that made the hit parade.
Guys like us we had it made,
Those were the days.
And you knew who you were then,
Girls were girls and men were
men,
Mister we could use a man
Like Herbert Hoover again.
Didn't need no welfare state,
Everybody pulled his weight.
Gee our old LaSalle ran great.
Those were the days.

The New Left

Refers to activists, educators and
agitators who sought broad reforms in
the 60s and 70s; Associated with
countercultural movement
SDS (Students for a Democratic
Society) helped shape the New Left
Port Heron Statement (their
political manifesto) called for
participatory democracy
and direct action radicalism
(inspired by civil rights
activism) to fight social
injustice

Legacy of the
New Left
Social mores and attitudes
permanently changed
- Civil Rights Movement
- Feminist Movement
- Sexual Revolution
- Gay Liberation Movement
Though some became
disillusioned by the inability to
fundamentally change social,
economic and political
structures of society, the legacy
of the liberal establishment was
nevertheless far reaching

Identity politics
Environmental movement
All continue to be a permanent part of
the national discourse

Waning Radicalism
Many became disillusioned with their inability
to create more rapid change
Many older Americans blamed student
protesters for causing unrest
Radicalism of the late 60s was alarming to
many backlash led to rise of conservative
politicians

The New Right

Formed during the late 60s to
counter the liberal establishment
of the era
Blamed student protesters and
radicals for causing unrest and
disorder
Radicalism alarming to many
Promoted strongly conservative
policies and values
- ie. Barry Goldwater, Ronald
Reagan, Phyllis Schlafly are all
embodiments of the New Right
Alienation of Southern Dems in the
60s provoked fear of social
disintegration

The New Right

Shaped in part by the Young Americans for
Freedom (YAF) outlined principles of movement
in The Sharon Statement
Free will and moral authority come from God
Govt must be strictly and constitutionally
limited
Market economy is the economic system most
compatible with freedom
Communism must be defeated

The Religious Right

Socially conservative evangelicals
noted for advancing socially
conservative positions
- Restoration of School Prayer
- Opposition to homosexuality,
abortion, contraceptives, the ERA

Election of Nixon, 1968

Richard Nixon capitalizes on unrest and promises to end civil strife, crack
down on radicals, and end war in Vietnam
Claimed to have the support of an alleged silent majority of non-radical
Americans who simply wished to carry on their individual lives in peace
Third party candidate George Wallace (Alabama) enters the race,
appealing to white supremacists and people fed up with the
counterculture and radicalism
Election indicated
many Americans
repudiated liberal
ideals

Election of 1968

Silent Majority
southern strategy
Vietnam
Humphrey had been LBJs VP

The Cheese
Stands Alone by
1974

Nixon v. U.S.

Nixons Departure from

White House after resignation
I would have preferred to
carry through to the finish
whatever the personal
agony it would have
involved, and my family
unanimously urged me to
do so. But the interest of
the Nation must always
come before any personal
considerations.

Watergate will be relegated to a minor

footnote.
- Secretary of State Henry Kissinger during
Nixons final days in office

What else should we remember about Richard

Nixon?

Shuttle Diplomacy and Dtente

Henry Kissinger
Only Nixon can go
to China

Nixon the Progressive?:

Domestic Policy
Takes US off gold standard to deal with inflation,
making US economy more flexible
Expansion of Social Welfare:
- ie. expanded Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security
Creation of EPA (Environmental Protection
Agency) and OSHA (Office of Health and Safety
Admin)
Affirmative action

Nixons Legacy?
"How can one evaluate such an idiosyncratic President, so
brilliant and so morally lacking?
-James McGregor Burns (biographer)
"President Nixon probably had a more practical approach
to the two superpowers, China and the Soviet Union, than
any other president since World War II... I think, with the
exception of his inexcusable continuation of the war in
Vietnam, Nixon really will get high marks in history.
George McGovern, 1983
"Nixon is a shifty-eyed goddamn liar, and the people know
it. - Harry Truman, 1961

Mixed Legacy of Nixon

Administration
Warmed relations with the Soviets and Chinese, ushering in
a period of detente during the Cold War)
Progressive domestic policies on the whole, though
perceived an overall conservative (due to southern
strategy; social beliefs; anti-communist ideology)
Events of his presidency - Watergate, Vietnam and growing
economic issues - led to crisis in leadership and deep
cynicism/distrust of govt
Leads to limitations on executive powers via the War
Powers Act 1973

Gerald Ford 1974-1977

How did the

late 70s
highlight the
limitations of a
superpower?

Jimmy Carter
1977-1981
Former Georgia governor
Retired peanut farmer
Little political prominence;
somewhat of a political
outsider

Economic Issues of the 1970s

1) End of postwar period of broad
economic expansion and prosperity
Gradual decline of manufacturing
economy
Strengthened economies abroad (ie.
Japan, W. Germany)
Competition with cheaper
labor/resources costs abroad
Employers began eliminating high
paid factory jobs, increasingly used
automated machinery and/or
outsourced jobs overseas
1971: For the first time in 20th c. US
experienced an export deficit

Economic Issues of the 1970s

2) Two Oil Shocks
In response to US support for Israel
in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, OPEC
(Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries) issued an
embargo on the US
Prices of oil skyrocketed
long gas lines due to limited
petroleum
Price of EVERYTHING
skyrocketed
In response to Iranian Revolution, oil
production decreased

Stagflation
Unusual combo of high inflation
and high unemployment
Stagnated wages
Dilemma: Actions designed to lower
inflation often exacerbated
unemployment and vice versa
Neither Nixon, Ford or Carter found
success addressing stagflation
Led to hopes that conservative economic
policies would remedy the issue

Carters Crisis of Confidence Speech

Iranian Hostage Crisis

Due to perceived attempts
of the US to undermine the
Iranian Revolution AND
Carters decision to allow
Shah Pahlavi (who the US
had long supported)
medical treatment in the US
52 American hostages held
for 444 days (1979-1981)
by Iranian revolutionaries
Carters attempts to return
hostages did not come to
fruition until Reagan was in
office

Anti-US mural on the side of the former US embassy

in Tehran

"You have no right to complain, because

you took our whole country hostage in
1953.
- Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

Response of Iranian Revolutionaries

This event symbolises the bravery and courage of the

young revolutionary generation against the authority of
America because taking over the den of espionage
destabilized US power...and brought America to its knees.
This fact should always remain in the historical memory of
the Iranian nation, and especially the youth, that America
never seeks ordinary relations with [other] countries it
seeks a master-servant relationship and the looting of the
resources of [other] nations.
- Ayatollah Khomeini

Camp David Accords

Anwar El-Sadat, Jimmy Carter and Menachem Begin
Brokered a negotiation that laid the foundation for peace
between Egypt and Israel

Revival of Conservatism
Carter admin struck many as bungling and befuddled
Inability of all 3 presidents to deal effectively with the
economic crisis led to a crisis of leadership
Economic crisis dealt a blow to Keynesian economics - the
idea that the govt could deal effectively with economic
issues was being question
Led to conservative ideas that emphasized the economy
as an aggregate of individual decisions rather than
government policy
Reshapes political landscape and ushers in Ronald Reagan
in 1980