Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardDemographic Shifts and Sun Belt Migration

"The economic rise of the Sun Belt after 1980 was not merely a story of air conditioning and sunshine. It was built on a foundation of federal expenditures. Defense contracts, aerospace funding, and military bases poured billions into these states, creating high-tech jobs that attracted millions of migrants. Ironically, while these migrants fueled a new conservative political coalition that championed deregulated markets and small government, their very livelihoods were deeply intertwined with federal government largesse."

—Adapted from a historical analysis of post-1980 regional shifts

Which of the following developments in the late twentieth century most directly reflects the paradox described in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The emergence of a completely self-sufficient private sector in the South and West that rejected all federal contracts and infrastructure subsidies.
  2. The rising political power of a conservative coalition in the South and West that advocated for smaller government while benefiting from federal defense and infrastructure spending.Answer
  3. C
    The passage of federal legislation that dismantled defense spending in order to fund supply-side tax cuts for industrial workers in the Northeast.
  4. D
    The revival of early nineteenth-century transport innovations, such as state-funded canals, to connect Sun Belt manufacturing centers to international ports.

Answer

The rising political power of a conservative coalition in the South and West that advocated for smaller government while benefiting from federal defense and infrastructure spending.
The correct answer is correct because the growth of the Sun Belt after 1980 led to a significant political realignment, giving the South and West more electoral power. This demographic shift supported the rise of a conservative movement that campaigned against federal regulation and government intervention, despite the fact that the Sun Belt's economic boom was heavily fueled by federal expenditures on defense, military bases, and aerospace.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus passage.
The passage highlights that the growth of the Sun Belt after 1980 was heavily driven by federal spending (defense, aerospace, military bases), yet the migrants moving to this region supported a conservative political coalition advocating for deregulated markets and small government.
Understanding the core argument of the stimulus is essential to identifying the correct historical development.
2
Identify the historical connection between Sun Belt migration and political realignment.
Migration to the South and West shifted congressional representation and electoral votes, empowering a conservative coalition (often associated with the Reagan administration and subsequent conservative movements) that championed free-market principles despite the region's reliance on federal military-industrial spending.
This links demographic shifts directly to the political consequences specified in the learning objective.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that accurately describes this paradox.
The option describing the rising political power of a conservative coalition that advocated for smaller government while relying on federal defense and infrastructure spending perfectly captures the paradox outlined in the passage.
Selecting the option that matches the synthesized historical relationship.

Key Concept

Demographic Shifts and Sun Belt Migration
Rate this question

Topics

Demographic Shifts and Sun Belt Migration

More questions from this topic