The New Right
WHAT IS IT? What Caused It?
The New Right refers to the result of the 1970s – 1980s conservative resurgence within the United States, specifically the Republican Party, directly following America’s mass liberalization due to the Great Society. The Resurgence was twofold: it saw another rise of laissez-faire capitalism (interestingly called economic liberalism) and a reactionary response to the social progressivism of the 1960s. The economic side was caused by lobbying by businesses. Large corporations were able to sway both public and political opinion away from Keynesian regulation of business towards a more deregulated system. The social side of it was caused by activism from multiple, mostly religion-based, groups. They argued that the new advancements in feminism, marriage rights, gay acceptance, and abortion / contraceptive rights were immoral and unacceptable, and the people listened. Overall, the New Right was caused by a dramatic decrease in trust of the federal government, mainly as a result of the Vietnam War and public deceptions by various administrations, and would result in a “smaller, freer” government.
WHY'S IT IMPORTANT?
Because it continues today. The New Right marked the end of the liberal dominance in the United States that had lasted for nearly half a century. Since 1969, there have been only three Democratic presidents. The New Right caused a new divide between the North and the South: the more Fundamentalist southerners would more vehemently follow the more conservative Republican Party, while the northerners would mostly continue to vote Democrat. The New Right also saw a dramatic restriction of rights: the right to have an abortion under Roe v. Wade was greatly curtailed, as was the right to privacy under Griswold v. Connecticut. Same-sex marriage was outlawed by the Defense of Marriage Act, and the New Right would also see the debate over gay rights in the military swept under the rug with “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The New Right also instituted a more aggressive, militant, interventionist foreign policy that would dominate the federal government for years to come.