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Difficulty: Very hardPolitical Realignment, Watergate, and Rise of Conservatism

"We accept the challenge of the 1980s: to make America work again... We will halt the growth of government spending and reduce tax rates. This will encourage investment, create jobs, and restore the value of the dollar... We will restore the balance of power between the states and the federal government. And we will rebuild our defense capabilities, for peace is secured through strength, not through weakness or apology."
— Republican Party Platform, July 15, 1980

The principles articulated in this platform excerpt represent a direct rejection of which of the following major features of the post-World War II political consensus?

  1. A
    The established consensus that the federal government should expand Great Society initiatives, such as Social Security and the Tennessee Valley Authority, to guarantee employment.
  2. The belief that Keynesian economic policies and the expansion of the federal regulatory and welfare state were necessary to ensure national stability.Answer
  3. C
    The consensus that supply-side economics, driven by federal public works projects and increased government spending, was the most effective tool to combat inflation.
  4. D
    The containment doctrine's established principle that the United States should rely on diplomatic isolationism rather than military alliances to limit the global expansion of communism.

Answer

The belief that Keynesian economic policies and the expansion of the federal regulatory and welfare state were necessary to ensure national stability.
The post-World War II liberal consensus was characterized by a general bipartisan agreement that accepted the federal government's role in regulating the economy through Keynesian fiscal policies and maintaining a social safety net. The 1980 Republican Platform directly challenged this consensus by advocating for deregulation, significant tax cuts, and a reduction in the growth of federal spending.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the platform excerpt to identify its primary economic and political goals.
The excerpt advocates for halting government spending growth, cutting tax rates to stimulate investment (supply-side economics), reducing federal power relative to states (devolution), and rebuilding military strength.
Understanding the document's core arguments is necessary to compare it to the historical consensus.
2
Recall the key characteristics of the post-World War II bipartisan political consensus (often called the liberal consensus).
The post-war consensus accepted Keynesian economic management, the preservation/expansion of the welfare state, and a robust federal regulatory role, alongside internationalist containment of communism.
This establishes the baseline of what the platform is reacting against.
3
Compare the platform's goals with the features of the post-war consensus to identify the point of rejection.
The platform's calls for cutting taxes and reducing government spending directly reject Keynesian demand management and federal welfare expansion, marking a shift toward modern conservatism.
This isolates the correct historical connection required by the question.
4
Evaluate the options to identify which one accurately describes the rejected consensus element without introducing historical errors.
The option concerning the rejection of Keynesian policies and federal expansion is historically accurate and directly matches the platform's stated goals.
This confirms the correct choice while eliminating distractors containing conceptual errors.

Key Concept

The transition from the post-war liberal consensus to the rise of modern conservatism and the political realignment of the late 1970s and 1980.
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

Political Realignment, Watergate, and Rise of Conservatism

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