Republican Realignment

An era of political and social unrest would be marked by the re-emergence and reinvention of the GOP. New Dealers and Democrats dominated American politics since FDR saved the country in the 30's, though much was now changing. After the failures of Vietnam and the massive domestic social changes such as the civil rights movement, second wave feminist movement, an exploding gay rights movement and sexual revolution, a changing of the guard was about to occur. This change, was more than just a new president, it was a political revolution in which the Republican party would gather its support from those who sought to return to traditional values and restore America back into her rightful place at the top of the podium. Ronald Reagan ,whom many claim as the champion of this revolution, capitalized on the economic failures of the Democratic Carter administration and was installed as the 40th president of the United States of America.

Courtesy

The conservatives of the 1980's propelled Reagan to victory after rallying around the flag of supply side economics and a renewed hard line stance against communism. A "New Right Activist" in 1980 attempted to explain how the new right garnered such renewed strength, they said that by forming a coalition between multiple single interest groups whom supported various conservative issues such as opposition to gun control, compulsory unionism and pro life groups.(1) Though this attempt left out one of the largest bases of power of the 'new' republican power, the religious south. Reagan himself calls out to his power base in his proclamation of a "Spiritual Reawakening", "There's a great spiritual awakening in America  a renewal of the traditional values that have been the bedrock of America's goodness and greatness...There is sin and evil in the world, and we're enjoined by Scripture and the Lord Jesus to oppose it with all our might. Our nation, too, has a legacy of evil with which it must deal..."(2) One can question if this new power base was counter to the social movements of the 60's and 70's.

With a strong foundation in place the Republicans began to dismantle the institutions which Democrats had built. Using spending cuts, tax cuts and regulation they attacked "Democratic strongholds" and managed to wrangle control of the White House for 12 consecutive years.(3) It is important to understand how the republican party that we know today came of age, in order to understand the significance of the legacy that this period has left on the country. Though many celebrate this time, the period was marked with scandal and controversy. Next week we will explore some of these black marks, but I leave you with Oliver Stone and historian Peter Kuznick's remarks on Reagan's legacy:

But what is Reagan's real legacy? One of the most poorly informed and least engaged chief executives in U.S. history, he empowered a right-wing resurgence of hard-line anti-Communist who militarized U.S. foreign policy and rekindled the Cold War. He paid lip service to democracy while arming and supporting repressive dictators. He turned local and regional conflicts in the Middle East and Lat American into Cold War battle ground, unleashing a reign of terror to supress popular movements. He spent enormous sums on the military while cutting social programs for the poor. He sharply reduced taxes on the wealthy, tripling the national debt and transforming the United States from the world's leading creditor in 1981 to its biggest debtor by 1985...And as for his much-vaunted role in ending the Cold War, as we will see, the lion's share of credit goes instead to his Soviet counterpart, Mikhail Gorbachev.

1. 357 Griffith, R., & Baker, P. (2007). Major problems in american history since 1945: Documents and essays. (3rd ed.). Boston: Wadsworth.

2. 360 Griffith, R., & Baker, P. (2007). Major problems in american history since 1945: Documents and essays. (3rd ed.). Boston: Wadsworth.

3. 372 Griffith, R., & Baker, P. (2007). Major problems in american history since 1945: Documents and essays. (3rd ed.). Boston: Wadsworth.

4. 462 Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, The Untold History of The United States (New York: Gallery Books, 2012), 268