The Rise of the New Right

Despite the strong currents of change—or perhaps because of it—the presidential race of 1968 ended in the election of conservative Republican Richard Nixon. Nixon promised to restore “law and order,” reduce crime, and achieve an end to the war in Vietnam, although few considered Nixon to be an antiwar candidate.

Nixon won only by a slim margin, but the defeat of the Democrats and the popularity of an independent candidate—former Alabama governor and right-wing segregationist George Wallace—heralded a shift in American politics. The South, formerly Democratic, began to vote Republican. As it moved to the right, the Republican party became identified with the growing grassroots movement of conservatives who opposed the secular and progressive trends in America and the “big government” social programs of the 1960s. 

Nixon called those unhappy with the unrest of the 1960s the “Silent Majority.” Over the next decade, this segment of voters would be joined by other social, political, economic, and religious conservatives to form the "New Right." This new movement would prove to be a powerful force in helping to elect Ronald Reagan as president in 1980.

Take Notes

What were the aims of the New Right political movement? In what ways was it influential? 

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