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Difficulty: MediumPolitical Realignment, Watergate, and Rise of Conservatism

President Jimmy Carter, Address to the Nation on Energy and Coalition of National Values (the "Crisis of Confidence" speech), July 15, 1979:

"I want to speak to you tonight about a subject even more serious than energy or inflation... It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our Nation. The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America. The symptoms of this crisis of the American spirit are all around us. For the first time in the history of our country a majority of our people believe that the next five years will be worse than the past five years. ... [O]ur people are losing that faith, not only in government itself but in their ability as citizens to serve as the ultimate rulers and shapers of our democracy."

The public dissatisfaction described in the excerpt most directly contributed to which of the following political shifts by 1980?

  1. The growing popularity of a conservative movement that promised to restore traditional values and limit federal powerAnswer
  2. B
    The expansion of federal anti-poverty initiatives modeled on the Great Society to restore public trust
  3. C
    The widespread adoption of economic policies that increased federal regulation and government spending to stimulate consumer demand
  4. D
    A renewed public consensus in favor of escalating military intervention in Southeast Asia to contain communist expansion

Answer

The growing popularity of a conservative movement that promised to restore traditional values and limit federal power
The correct answer is correct because Jimmy Carter's 1979 speech reflected a widespread public malaise and distrust of government resulting from Watergate, the Vietnam War, and persistent stagflation. This dissatisfaction directly fueled the conservative realignment of 1980, as voters turned to Ronald Reagan's campaign of limited government, tax cuts, traditional values, and strong national defense.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus to identify the core issue and context.
The text is from Jimmy Carter's 1979 'Crisis of Confidence' speech, depicting a nation struggling with inflation, energy shortages, and a loss of faith in government and progress.
Understanding the source and historical context is necessary for identifying subsequent historical developments.
2
Relate the public sentiment of the late 1970s to the political landscape of 1980.
Public disillusionment with the Carter administration and traditional liberal policies facilitated a political realignment, leading to the election of Ronald Reagan.
Connecting the source's themes to major political shifts answers the prompt.
3
Evaluate the options against the identified historical realignment.
The rise of the conservative movement directly capitalized on this disillusionment by promising deregulation, tax cuts, and a return to traditional values, making the option concerning the growth of conservatism the correct choice.
This confirms the correct option while eliminating the incorrect choices.

Key Concept

The rise of the conservative movement and political realignment in the late 1970s and 1980.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Political Realignment, Watergate, and Rise of Conservatism

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