chapter 18- the restoration of conservative social policies Flashcards
who was Milton Friedman?
He opposed Keynesian economics, he predicted “stagflation”, he went on to become a key economic advisor for Reagan.
what was the significance of the silent majority?
the “silent majoirty” weren’t a group of people that would have liked Neo-liberal politics. They were a group of middle class and predominantly white people who felt deceived by the move away from traditional policy, and the lack of respect for both P.church and country. This group of people felt that they had no group that was willing to fight for them. This group felt that change that was seen being seen with events such as Roe vs Wade, went against the idea that it was ok for things to stay the same. This group was focussed the “sunbelt” of America, where the liberal ideas hadnt reached yet.
what was the significance of Roe vs Wade?
This made abortion illegal in the USA, the issue of abortion would become a key topic that was spouted in the “moral majority” that emerged in 1979.
what is the significance of welfare and taxation?
Nixon made it clear that the “AD does not come to those who fall asleep”, many among the “silent majority” criticised those who were deemed to be “lazy”. Nixon proposed that there would be a negative income tax, this was designed to create a safety net for the poor whilst also giving them a financial incentive to work. Nixon also sought to expand the Food Stamp Programme- which changed to the FAP, they thought that direct cash payments would work better for the poor than measures such as foodstamps.
Nixon brought about the introduction of the SSI , this created a guaranteed income for elderly and disabled people. there was also increased to healthcare, in 1974 there was a proposal of even more intense healthcare reform, this went against the Neo-liberal campaign that Nixon courted.
why was the FAP heavily criticised?
- $1600 pa for each family was not said to be enough.
- Conservatives disliked the idea of aiding people who were “workshy”
- unions saw this as a threat to the MW
THE FAP BILL SOON DIED IN 1972- NIXON WANTED D TO KILL THE BILL AS IT WAS TOO $
What is the significance of how Nixon dealt with businesses?
there were a series of acts that seemed to ignore the rhetoric of the Nixon campaign, there were a number of environmental/safety regulation- OSHA 1970, this was designed to ensure that people were safe
what strategy did Nixon and Kissinger enact to keep protest on the quiet?
- withdrawing troops
- altering the criteria for the draft
- concealing the most damaging realities of Vietnam
- using speeches to question the patriotism of anti-war protesters.
Though, despite the removal of 25000 troops, and a further 60000 in 1969- protests were on the rise. Nixon made speeches that references peace and the protesters
what was the significance of the anti-war protest?
John Lennon recorded music such as give peace a chance, Jane Fonda visited Vietnam in 1972, one of the most proponent figures of the anti-war protest was Muhammed Ali. The Baby Boomers were beginning to leave school, so they wanted to get involved.
4 May 1970- the national guard shot dead 4 students that were protesting Nixons incursion into Cambodia. Reagan who was the governor of California criticised the rallies and closed all colleges. The NY publicly denounced the actions of the police and made himself a target of the pro-Nixon rallies on 20 may 1970. Though, as the drawdown continued protests decreased
23rd April 1971- Vietnam veterans through away 700 medals on the steps of the capital.
5 May 1971 1140 people were arrested for trying to shutdown congress
December 1971- 15 Anti war veterans occupied the Statue of Liberty. Nixon struggled to deal with the protests, they were branded as “traitors”
what was the significance of civil rights protests?
Nixon inherited a civil rights movement that was fractured, Brayard Rustin who organised the 1963 march on Washington believed that Nixon was destroying the victories of Kennedy and Johnson, it is difficult to see where this took place.
spiro Agnew was tasked with ending the segregation of schools and by 1970 fewer than 10% of AA went to segregated schools- this was achieved by busing which Nixon privately disapproved of but approved of publicly. This led to protests with white groups not approving of the segregation, George Shultz also made sure that aid was given to schools that wanted desegregation to go ahead.
how did the matter of civil rights advance?
a key achievement of Nixon’s was his wanting to introduce the first federal AA plan in 1970 known as the Philadelphia plan- this meant that governmnet contractors had to hire more people from minorities, in the case of eastern Pennsylvania vs Shultz in 1971 the AA was rolled out nation wide. There were also courses that were dedicated to the studies of AA people, even whilst the federal government was under less pressure. CR groups such as the SNCC decreased dramatically.
what was the significance of feminist protest?
key people such as Gloria Steinem stressed how little the administration had done, they also sought to gain the support of Pat Nixon. Nixon created a presidential task force on women’s rights, he also instructed the justice department to bring sex discrimination cases under the CRA- this was seen to be a positive aspect of the legacy of Nixon
what was the significance of economic change and an end to the post war boom?
Nixon sought to have legislation that was inspired by neoliberal economists such as Milton, Nixon was right to assume that the economy has a bad affect on elections, any 1970 unemployment rose to 6% and Republicans lost 12 seats in the house of reps.
Nixon appointed Arthur Burns as chairman of the federal reserve, he demanded that the president hold federal spending under $200 billion, with aim of being able to deal with inflation without increasing tax, though this led to pay freezes and strikes- this led to stagflation. Nixon sought to tax cuts, 10% import tax, ending of the 1944 Bretton woods accord- helped him gain re-election
However, inflation did continue to get worse, for example oil prices, by 1974 inflation was 12.1%- the age of media and the queues being on the news made situations worse.
how did people respond to the silent majority speech?
the White House received 1000’s of telegrams in response to the speech, few were critical of him
“depth of your sincerity”
why did the Chicago 8 trial matter?
there was a clear cultural clash between the judge and the defendents, his disdain with the defendants helped to overturn convictions. on 18th February 1970 the jury acquitted all 7 defendants, 5 were convicted- 2 years later a lower court removed all convictions. These are the men who were arrested after the DNC
what was the significance of the battle of the sexes?
September 20th 1973- this was the highly publicised match between Riggs and King, where King won- proving women to be a valuable asset to sport
what is the significance of the Waltons and sweet home Alabama?
The Waltons- TV DRAMA: 1971-82
it was believed that “no one is ever going to watch it”, yet this programme emphasised that America can go back to a simpler time, finding stability in a simpler time, this is going against the changing world of the 1970’s. The silent majority is the anti-protest/white-working class people
KEY IDEA: the Waltons represent order and simplicity, which reflects the fundamental views of the silent majority.
Sweet Home Alabama- this is designed to revive southern culture/ re-focus the white community.
significance of LGBT civil rights and Nixon?
Intersectionality
Stonewall riots 1969- there was freedom prior with “parades”, the riot was not started out of anger, people were in the stonewall cafe.
1965- “reminder marches”
1970- there were alternative sit in marches, public display of moving forward, first generation of pride marches which emphasises inclusion- though people were excluded from said marches.
How is this similar to the CRM- there is a focus on liberty, discontent with the police, more “radical” marches, similar tac-tics.
what was the significance of Nixon and women’s rights?
Nixon commissioned the 1969 women’s Task Force, this is designed to get women to the top-level
progressive policy- not all were supported by Nixon
BY 1973: there were a number of women in high-paying jobs, paying more than $28000 increased 36-130, more than 1000 were hired/promoted to mid-level government positions
1972- congress passed the equal rights amendment, this amends the 1964 CRA, you legally can’t discriminate based on gender.
CP- this was not ratified by every state, power of federalism
what was the significance of Roe vs Wade?
1969- Jane Roe challenged the criminal abortion laws in Texas, her claim was that she had been raped; though she was forced to give birth.
Roe vs wade- this is the woman’s right to choose and to have liberty away from the state
KEY IDEA: there has been a change from 1964 congress
what was the significance of Nixon’s approach to the economy?
There was the politicisation of the US central bank
1970- Nixon appointed Andrew Burns (example of an advisor) to cut interest rates, though there was a mini-boom which was followed by stagflation
Nixon was involved in a system that should be non-partisan, Nixon and Burns go against the typical way of dealing with inflation.
1968, Nixon was a Republican that wanted to return to neoliberalism.
Nixon was also relying on Milton
15 August “Nixon’s challenge of peace speech, 15th August 1971 ‘invest in new machinery and equipment”, “speed up personal income tax”- this was designed to benefit people before the election, more consumerism which is designed to stimulate growth.
With stagflation, this was seen to be unsuccessful.
what is the significance of the household fuse?
this was an energy crisis
in 1968 natural gas consumption will exceed, there is the clear idea that American cannot keep up with it’s own limits
By 1970 1/3 of all gas is imported, relying on other nations to meet needs- 500000 people were unemployed.
There was project independence, this is a national energy policy, by 1985 Nixon wanted USA to be self-sufficient. This put the responsibility on Americans, link to Kennedy inauguration speech. Nixon is not using legislation to create change, he is using the people.
25th November 1973 Nixon will address the nation about national energy policy- this is the idea of American exceptionalism, Nixon is making light of the reality
