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History
Introduction
Liberalism Defined
In broad term liberalism can be defined as a concept which has its emphasis on
individual rights and equal opportunities for every one. The basic principles of the
government’s authorities; the rule of law; one's right to hold private property; concept
of free markets and a transparent style and system of government. The United States
of America has the honor of being the first state founded on the principles of modern
liberalism when Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence "all men
are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable
rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to insure
these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from
Conservatism Defined
On the other hand, Conservatism is a political term which supports the status
In his edited book “The Conservative Tradition” R.J. White described the
concept as "To put conservatism in a bottle with a label is like trying to liquify the
atmosphere … The difficulty arises from the nature of the thing. For conservatism is
less a political doctrine than a habit of mind, a mode of feeling, a way of living."
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Russell Kirk in his book “The Politics of Prudence” considered it as "the negation of
ideology".
Synopsis
The loss of John F. Kennedy was a grieve matter for the whole nation. “Conceivably
the liberal ethos of the early sixties might have died with Kennedy. And yet, the zenith of
Johnson.” (Brundage, Fitzhugh. The Zenith of Postwar Liberalism: John F. Kennedy and
Lyndon B. Johnson.) Johnson managed to accomplish far more than his predecessor and
some argue that more than all the presidents of the 20th century. But it was also Johnson who
was the reason behind the collapse of the liberalism as his failures as a president weakened
liberalism to such an extent that since then it has been on the defensive.
Johnson's success was the result of two natural and independent circumstances. First,
Kennedy's untimely martyrdom provided Johnson a façade to befool the nation to fulfill
Kennedy's dream. With little effort Johnson changed Kennedy vision into his own. Johnson
realized that liberalism could be perfect match for the nation's mood.
repercussion of tax reductions and increments in federal spending the country’s economy
touched new heights of growth. In the period between 1960-1964 the GNP increased by 24%;
the increase was 7% in 1965 alone. The unemployment rate in 1965 fell below 4%. This
prosperity provided Johnson the required opportunity to gallop beyond the wild dreams of
Truman and Kennedy. These two elements Johnson claimed could have assist Americans in
After winning the election Johnson moved more than 200 laws in the Congress. In
1964 Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 along with federally sponsored recreation
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programs; urban mass transit and the most importantly Economic Opportunity Act. This was
only a preview of the Great Society programs Johnson had in his mind.
In 1965, Johnson moved through Congress the Medicare and Medicaid programs for
people over the age of 65 and for the deprived ones. The next step was the extension of
federal funds to schools, followed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (which removed the
barriers against black voting) and the Housing Act of 1965 creating the Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Congress also passed legislation to provide federal
funds for model cities projects this was followed by legislation of a federal safety standard
intended for the auto industry, creation of new cabinet department i.e. Transportation
legislation dealing immigration act along with consumer protection laws were some other
Although Johnson was adamant to admit but it was impossible for the nation to fight
on two fronts i.e. Vietnam and poverty without increasing taxes. As Johnson resisted hoisting
up taxes the result was a rise in the rate of inflation. The war caused sharp increase in GNP
and helped the economy but only temporarily but unfortunately the Great Society programs
The supporters of the liberalism have accomplishment like Medicaid, Medicare, and
Head Start to show for their success but, in reality the failures are equally undeniable and in
Despite the aim to curtail poverty and to achieve equality, Great Society supporters
always opposed the notion of redistribution of wealth, income and political power. Their
reliance on the preexisting political machinery for the purpose smelled much like
conservationism.
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Johnson’s term as the president of United States was blemished with, along with his
personality and notoriety, Vietnam War and the Great Society legislation. But still the
impression he has left on the sands of time is one of the most remarkable ones.
Ronald Reagan was the longest-serving conservative president of the last century. He
had managed to unite various distinct conservative schools of thought and build a political
movement out of them. Originally in the 1950s, there were three distinct schools of thoughts
as the force which managed to pull together the three schools of thought and made one i.e.
conservatism. These different groups had some common ideas but at the same time were
active conservationist during late 1950s and started working to transform conservatism into a
political movement. His speech "A Time for Choosing" was the turning point in his political
career although the Republican Party lost the election but they found the most compelling
voice in American conservatism. In 1980 when the country had witnessed riots, Vietnam,
Watergate, energy crises, stagflation and the hostage crisis he ran for president. During his
campaign he managed to join together all the major strands of conservatism and transformed
them into a movement able to win at the ballot box. He won by a landslide, and the bond he
created between conservatives stood for the next decade until the end of the Cold War.
liberalism into a new amalgamation. He took transcendent moral order, the legitimacy of old
institutions, respect for Western civilization, property rights and a well defined foreign policy
from the classical conservatism and individual freedom, the rule of law, equality of
opportunity, constitutional government along with lower taxes and lesser regulation of
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business from classical liberalism. At the same time Reagan rejected the pessimism from the
traditionalist school and embraced a sunny stance toward the future. He truly believed in the
Some critics argue that today the best known brand of American post-war
Reaganism which has helped in shaping and defining the Republican Party and contributed
much to the Democratic Party as well. It is still remembered by many that when Reagan left
office, Democratic Leadership Council of President Bill Clinton adopted many of the ideas
originally belonged to Reagan. Not only on federal level but Reaganism has had a great deal
of influence on the state level as well and it has inspired a whole breed of Republican
governors since then. It was the primary reason why in 1994 Congressional elections the
Republicans claimed the 104th Congress. Interestingly, in 2000, when George Bush Jr. ran
for president, both he and his challenger Senator John McCain proclaimed to be the true heir
to Ronald Reagan.
In Short we can conclude by saying that it was Reaganism that helped in shaping the
domestic and foreign policy of the 1980s and 1990s. And it was Reaganism again that
inspired the Republican Party to become the majority party from a minority. Reaganism’s
followers have i.e. the Republicans have controlled the White House, Capitol Hill and many
Why Reaganism has survived the tests of time? Because it now runs in the veins of
American culture and has drilled its way into many deepest sentiments in an average
American’s life such as religiosity, individualism, capitalism, patriotism, optimism. For these
reasons Ronald Reagan is considered as the most important conservative of the 20th century
in America.
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Works Cited
Brundage, Fitzhugh. The Zenith of Postwar Liberalism: John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B.
<www.dlt.ncssm.edu/lmtm/docs/liberalism/script.pdf>
<www.princeton.edu/~gji3/The_Domestic_Sources_of_Postwar_Liber
al_Internationalism-Word%20doc.pdf>
Ikenberry, G. John. Power and liberal order: America’s postwar world order in transition.
Mariano, Marco. Schlesinger: The ‘Humble’ Liberal (Review). 49th Parallel. Issue 22,
Mehan, G. Tracy III. William F. Buckley Jr.: catalyst for conservatism. Human Life Review.
<http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3798/is_/ai_n27899672>
id=60AE45D3-A465-FD98-3A29843BADE8C53E>
Sommer, Robert. One Brief Shining Moment. The New York Observer. July 25, 2008.
shining-moment>
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<www.metalliccloud.com/morte/2007/05/the_bush_admini.html>