The Other Side of the Sixties: Barry Goldwater and the Rise of PostwarConservatismI. Conservatism: from the Political Fringe to the Halls of Power II. Vox Clamantis in Deserto – Conservatism in the 1950sa. Similarities the New Leftb. Conservatives were minority in 1950s-60sc. New Deal legacies made 1950s a bad era for conservatismi. Ex- Eisenhower; moderate and republicand. Who was a conservative?i. White, affluent, academic, concerned with the soullessness of consumerism, individual freedom, and foreign policy as aggressive containmentii. Thought big gov’t was power hungry and wanted to take rights away from peopleiii. For capitalism, private property, free enterpriseiv. Socially conservative, wanted a return to “older” or Jeffersonian AmericaIII. Core Conservative Beliefs1) Caveat: there are many different kinds of conservatives…2) Core conservative beliefsa) Mistrust of centralized “big government”a. Only purpose of big gov’t to provide basic protection for Americans and to enforce lawsb. Strict constitutionalistsb) Emphasis on individual rights, especially property rights and free enterprisea. Free enterprise capitalismb. Saw taxes as theftSimilar toLeftistsc. Anti-Keynesian beliefsd. For gun ownership?c) Mistrust of “social engineering,” i.e. using government as a tool for social improvementa. Thought of FDR as Satan and LBJ’s Great Society as a disasterb. Saw civil rights as a state concern, not a federal concernc. Disliked redistribution of wealthd) Intense anticommunism/patriotism, support for large militarya. “Big military” in a “small government?”b. Intense McCarthy-itesc. Wanted a large budget for military spendinge) “Law and order”f) “traditional values”a. Popular among religious conservatives – but not all conservatives are religious (see Ayn Rand)b. Wanted regulation of abortiong) Hatred of “moderate” conservatives e.g. Eisenhower, RockefellerIV. Conservative Intellectual Influencesa. Friedrich von Hayek and The Road to Serfdom (1944)i. Main point that collectivist societies ALWAYS become tyrannicalb. U. of Chicago economist Milton Friedmani. Champion of capitalism and free market economyii. Capitalism and Freedom (1962)c. Ayn Rand and Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainheadi. Atheistii. Anticommunist; involved in HUAC investigation of Hollywood Teniii. Objectivism- capitalist, individualist societyd. Russell Kirk and The Conservative Minde. William F. Buckley and The National Reviewi. Author, figurehead, criticii. Young Americans for Freedom1. Conservative counterpoint for SDSV. Barry Goldwatera. Born Arizona, 1909; cowboy from Phoenixb. Classic conservative: anti-New Deal, intensely anticommunist/pro-military, deeply opposed to LBJ’s Great Society, pro-choicei. Not religious, howeverc. 1964 Presidential electioni. GOP moderates defeated at convention, Goldwater nominatedii. LBJ crushes Goldwater1. Goldwater only won AZ, GA, LA, MS, AL, and SCiii. Liberalism triumphant? For now,
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