Mostly it was the total chaos, riots, and unrest.
They were also immediately followed by Reagan, who wasn’t exactly a shining beacon of progressivism.
But there were a lot of changes during that time, many that could be considered progressive, mixed in with (or perhaps the reason behind?) the chaos. A lot of folks don’t like change, after all.
Reagan benefited from Volker, and Carter chose Volker knowing that it would probably cost him re-election.
Reagan then squandered the benefit, but is now worshipped as some sort of prelapsarian god. Let's hope the US can slough off that nonsense soon.
Carter had no idea how economics works. The prosperity of the 80's was great.
Sure, the “prosperity of the 80's was great” for me — I was getting FAANG scale salary as a new grad to do AI development. But plenty of my friends were on the losing side of that divide (think, “breaking away”) and it wasn’t great for them, and never became great.
> Reagan switched to a deficit-based fiscalized economy,
That was caused by the Democrat-controlled Congress. Reagan tried to get a balanced budget, and Congress stymied him every time.
> hollowed out manufacturing, and channeled cash upwards towards the wealthy.
That's just propaganda.
> “breaking away”
is a fictional movie. Please use factual references.
is a fictional movie. Please use factual references.
I'm thinking of my friends who didn't go to university, or got their GED at 16, and have struggled as their factory jobs went away.
Reagan's two terms saw explosive growth in the computer and software industry.
If you're suggesting that Reagan should have tried protectionism, I suggest it is about as effective as the sanctions put on Russia & Iran to boost their economies.
Total nonsense. Source: I lived through the 70s.
Or an impressive series of riots? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_riots#1970s]
Not to mention that whole Nixon thing?[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal]
It was a busy time.
looks like we come full circle
The national guard doesn't shoot people; that's been democratized to police and private citizens.
The big violent demonstrations are gone. What passes for it these days is a pale shadow.
One "benefit" of the increased inequality is that people making less than the median are too exhausted to demonstrate, much less rebel. Rebellion has always been the act of those who belong, and by excluding more of society there is "peace".
Scare quotes used in case it's not obvious that I don't approve.
Um... didn't the biggest riots in American history just happen two years ago?
How does one measure these things precisely anyway?
Last 2 years have been nothing, except for the ‘implications for democracy’ anyway.
Pick any metric - deaths, injuries, property damage, etc.