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Question

Difficulty: MediumPolitical Realignment, Watergate, and Rise of Conservatism

Ronald Reagan, "A Time for Choosing" speech, 1964

"This is the issue of this election: Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capitol can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves. . . . You and I are told increasingly we have to choose between a left or right. Well I'd like to suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There's only an up or down: [up] man's old-aged dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order, or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. And regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course."

Based on the excerpt, the ideas expressed by the speaker most directly contributed to which of the following political shifts in the 1970s and 1980s?

  1. A
    The rapid expansion of federal Great Society programs with broad bipartisan support to regulate local industries
  2. B
    The adoption of Keynesian economic policies that increased federal regulatory power to stimulate consumer demand
  3. The formation of a new conservative coalition that successfully challenged the dominance of New Deal liberalismAnswer
  4. D
    A shift toward absolute isolationism in foreign policy to avoid international security commitments

Answer

The formation of a new conservative coalition that successfully challenged the dominance of New Deal liberalism
The ideas in the excerpt represent the foundational arguments of the modern conservative movement, which critiqued the expansion of federal power and government planning. Throughout the 1970s and culminating in the election of 1980, these ideas catalyzed the formation of a new conservative coalition—comprising fiscal conservatives, cold warriors, and social traditionalists—that successfully challenged the dominance of New Deal liberalism.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus context and core argument.
The stimulus is an excerpt from Ronald Reagan's 1964 speech advocating for individual liberty, limited government, and a critique of centralized federal planning by an 'intellectual elite.'
Understanding the ideological stance of the speaker is necessary to determine the historical trajectory and political impact of these ideas.
2
Evaluate the political consequences of these ideas in the late twentieth century (1970s and 1980s).
These anti-statist ideas became central to the New Right and the broader conservative movement, which mobilized voters against the New Deal and Great Society liberal consensus, leading to the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Identifying the political realignment and rise of conservatism connects the 1964 speech to the target period of 1945–1980.
3
Assess the options to find the one that accurately describes this political shift.
The option describing the formation of a new conservative coalition that challenged New Deal liberalism is correct, while other options describe policies that the speaker's movement actively opposed or foreign policy stances that do not align with modern conservatism.
Comparing the historical impact to each option confirms the correct answer and eliminates distractors.

Key Concept

The rise of the modern conservative movement and its challenge to New Deal liberalism.
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Topics

Political Realignment, Watergate, and Rise of Conservatism

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