Introduction
Consensus characterized American history between 1945 and 1963. This was a term used to describe the period in which America developed global hegemony as well as creating domestic affluence in the world. The victory in World War II greatly helped in the achievement of these American values. There were rapid expansions and economic growth in the country. This period is regarded as crucial in the history of America. It is a time the American population started gaining confidence and superiority.
Main text
From the year 1963, America changed considerably. The values during the consensus period changed with new political and economic ideologies being adopted. Harmony turned to capitalism and liberalism. Allen Matusow values the period between 1963 and 1971 as the defining moment in the economic and political values of America.
Allen Matusow wrote about the unraveling of America as a description of the rise of liberalism in the country. However, this freedom that rose at the start of 1960 had a sudden decline by 1971. The liberals in this period had a pure focus on gaining political and economic powers. They sought to introduce social policies for the population of America. This liberalism as contrasted with ideologies during the consensus period adopts capitalism, characterized by big labor and big business ventures.
Allen Matusow believes that liberalism was the creation of President John F. Kennedy. This is because the presidency of John F. Kennedy focused mostly on increasing public enthusiasm and the introduction of liberal programs. The president supported capitalism by encouraging big businesses. However, he was very skeptical and reluctant to show support of the causes advocated by civil rights movements.
After the country had cemented its place on the global map, there was a great need to mitigate possible outcomes of issues such as suburbanization. These questions were unemployment, poverty, and the dislocation of working people. The economic prospect in this period was to be developed with a view of Keynesian economics. This was converged with social concerns. The biggest of these was racism. It was also important in this period to root out the complacency that was developed during the consensus period. There was a general view that with complacency, countries such as Russia would outmaneuver America.
Civil rights movements were very active during this period. The Civil Rights Act was supported by President John F. Kennedy with a view of having an equal society. The civil rights concerns in America were high, particularly in the marginalization of non-natives in the country. The blacks were not allowed to mingle freely with the whites. The civil rights movements led by Dr. Martin Luther King aimed at having an equal society in education, economics, and politics.
Keynesian economics gave rise to inflation. There were no systematic policies to deal with poverty and unemployment in the country. Even towards the end of 1960, the poverty levels were still high despite legislation of anti-poverty policies by John F. Kennedy’s presidency. Civil rights were not also deeply enshrined in the national law despite various attempts by liberals.
Radicalism was a major part of this period. The argument by Allen Matusow was that radicalism was a major determinant in unraveling liberalism. While the liberals were after increasing levels of democracy and capitalism in America, the radicals regarded the two governance issues as oppressive. The hippies worked against capitalist values. For example, the highly undermined values such as self-denial, hard work, and social disciplines. They also did not believe in gratification. However, their benefits did not last for long as they were eventually absorbed into the larger political culture.