The Conservatism - Essay Example

Module History Conservatism declined from 1964 when the republicans won the presidential elections, and majority of conservative senators and congress representatives lost their seats. This led to negative social, political and economic changes that resulted in deterioration of morals, disruption of peace and increased incidences of poverty. Similar to the failures of previous regimes, the republican government had a hard time reversing the negative effects of social, political and economic deterioration including erosion of morals, increased violence, declining standards of living, a rise in levels of crime, and violation of human rights. Consequently, the conservatives restructured their objectives and changed their approach to politics, and presented their political manifesto as the new right, which intended to reverse all the ills that plagued the American society in the late 1960s and early 1970s (Lewis). This essay discusses the social, political and economic conditions that contributed to the rise of the New Right in the 1970s and 1980s, and analyses the effect of the New Right policies on American life. Social Conditions Crime rates increased all over the country, so much that the government law enforcement agencies and the judiciary had to arrest, prosecute and convict children as young as 11 for participating in organized crime. These crimes were rampant in many settlements, and the law enforcement officers were either reluctant or unable to control the gangs who wreaked havoc on families and forced young children to participate in criminal activities (Kotlowitz 45). Drug trafficking was the other social situation that ailed the American society, whereby the dealers roamed the streets and estates unabated and recruited teenagers and older members of the society into the world of drug use and trafficking. It was difficult for parents, governments and other stakeholders to keep up and curb the deteriorating status before it was too late due to the rapid changes that society was undergoing. Drug use resulted in poor performance and high dropout rates of students, mainly because it was fashionable in those days to be rebellious as indicated by reactions to the social upheaval (Lewis). Prostitution was widespread among the young generations, mainly due to the motivation they had received from the social upheaval of the 1960s that encouraged acceptance of moral decadence as a way of life. The upheaval was a protest against social, political, and economic stagnation resulting from conservative governments and lifestyles, but in the end, it harmed the people instead of benefiting them. According to Kotlowitz (56), Lashawn turned to prostitution in order to earn money to support her drug addiction. This means that the upheaval not only resulted in high drug incidence, but criminal activities too. Moreover, the rise of the new right was in response to strain in family and community relationships, due to inequality and discrimination against women and African Americans, and loss of faith in the government (Lewis). Political Conditions In the late 1960s and early 1970s, there were gross violations of human rights, mainly as a result of corruption of political institutions that extended to religious, law enforcement and other authorities. Politicians collaborated with religious institutions in attempts to force people to abandon drug abuse, crime and other instances of immoral tendencies. Moreover, political leaders used government agencies unfairly to oppress the poor who were fighting for their rights; these agencies included the FBI and the CIA. For instance, the FBI persecuted three youths who were in a movement against social injustices in Mississippi (Kotlowitz 248). As Americans languished in poverty and deteriorating economic living conditions, the government was using vast amounts of public resources in politically motivated wars, most of which were wasteful and had no apparent benefit to the American people. Hereby, the government failed in its duty of taking care of the welfare of the American people, as it was clear that it invested in Vietnam, Watergate and Cold War instead of development projects to aid the American people (Lewis). The corruption in the federal and state governments affected their service delivery. For instance, democracy took a hit when racist judges were appointed to head the judicial system, and the federal government was reluctant to protect citizens against discrimination and maltreatment. Metropolitan officials were corrupt and embezzled funds intended to improve the living conditions of residents. This resulted in poorly constructed living areas, but since the state and federal governments were reluctant to implement the set guidelines, residents had to keep up with conditions that were not suitable for the majority (Lewis). Economic Conditions Inflation, poverty, and energy crisis were the main characteristics of the economic situation before the formation of the new right. Records show that the country had been having high annual inflation rates of between 10 and 15 percent. This reduced the purchasing power of the people and decreased the quality of their living standards; life for middle and low-income earners was miserable. For instance, it was difficult to afford meals, rent and school fees, and the residents had to prioritize, usually choosing poor quality food and housing and opting out of college as if this was an unnecessary luxury (Kotlowitz 342). High school dropout rates fuelled the crime and drug abuse vices that made the already poor situation worse; this had an interesting feedback effect and high rates of each phenomenon resulted in an increased rate of the other one. Inflation and poverty were the main reasons for the deteriorating living standards, making it difficult for parents to support their families; families fell into disarray, and the future of children living in poor families looked bleak (Lewis). Oil was a key factor in escalation of inflation, whereby increased demand for oil without a matching increase in supply resulted in high costs of fuel. This caused an increase in the general prices of consumer goods since most of these products were produced in oil dependent industries, most of which had low efficiency in their operations. Moreover, the wars in the Middle East increased the average import price of oil, and with the participation of the United States in the war, the situation got desolate with each passing year (Lewis). Effects of the New Right Policies The strong link between conservative politics and religion had both positive and negative effects on the lives of Americans, especially due to the rigid stance of conservatives. The stance promoted economic, moral and social growth; equality for women and African Americans and national sovereignty. Despite using a high percentage of national GDP in health policies, there is a high percentage of Americans with little or no medical cover, and the country is ranked poorly in comparison with other developed countries’ life expectancy and quality of health care. Though crime levels had reduced at the start of the decade, the rate has been on a perpetual increase in the last one decade, especially in the last five years due to deteriorating world economic situation (Lechner and Boli 112). The new right favored the nuclear family; however, this family is threatened by the proliferation of non-traditional one-parent families among others, which are mainly prompted by the harsh economic situation and widespread liberalization. Moreover, regimes of the new right have participated in wars despite this being one of their main reasons for opposing preexisting regimes. Nationally, crime has been on the rise, and many scholars and economists attribute this to the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots (Lechner and Boli 243). Conclusion The excesses of previous regimes prompted a change in approach in an attempt to reverse poor social, political and economic conditions in United States. However, the proponents of the new right overlooked the conditions surrounding the actions of the ruling elite. This is evident in the failure of the new right policies to reverse all the shortcomings of previous regimes, and deteriorating conditions. In conclusion, no single policy is the solution to challenges facing societies, but leaderships should endeavor at achieving continual improvement of policies. Works Cited Kotlowitz, A. There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in The Other America. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2011. Print. Lechner, Frank J., and Boli John. The Globalization Reader. Blackwell Publishing, 2004. Print. Lewis, C. H. Question for Discussion: What are some of the Major Problems Facing America in the 1970s and 1980s? Sewall Academic Program; University of Colorado at Boulder, 2002. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. Read More