American Feud: A History of Conservatives and Liberals
Encyclopedia
American Feud: A History of Conservatives and Liberals is a 2008 documentary
DVD by Richard Hall and Simone Fary. The documentary takes a non partisan look at the history of liberalism
and conservatism
in the United States since the 1890s progressive era
.
re-captured House and Senate majorities. Modern conservatism became a national political movement through the failed 1964 presidential candidacy of Republican Senator Barry Goldwater
, and modern liberalism reached a peak, then began to decline with the perceived failure of the Great Society
programs and the prolonged Vietnam War
under president Lyndon Johnson.
American Feud features the opinions of scholars, authors, historians, and partisan activists from the left, right and center. Archival film, photographs and electoral maps help to trace the history, influence and shifting meaning of these two terms over the past 120 years. It also makes a critical evaluation of the concept of "red states" and "blue states".
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
DVD by Richard Hall and Simone Fary. The documentary takes a non partisan look at the history of liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and conservatism
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
in the United States since the 1890s progressive era
Progressive Era
The Progressive Era in the United States was a period of social activism and political reform that flourished from the 1890s to the 1920s. One main goal of the Progressive movement was purification of government, as Progressives tried to eliminate corruption by exposing and undercutting political...
.
Film content
Participants in the documentary argue that modern liberalism began as a result of 19th century industrialism and as a reaction against the negative aspects of this new condition. According to American Feud, modern conservatism began as an argument against the New Deal of Franklin Roosevelt, and slowly grew in the post World War II era as it opposed the expanding role of the federal government.American Feud traces the political and intellectual history of modern liberalism and modern conservatism through the 2006 mid-term congressional elections in which DemocratsDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
re-captured House and Senate majorities. Modern conservatism became a national political movement through the failed 1964 presidential candidacy of Republican Senator Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
, and modern liberalism reached a peak, then began to decline with the perceived failure of the Great Society
Great Society
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States promoted by President Lyndon B. Johnson and fellow Democrats in Congress in the 1960s. Two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice...
programs and the prolonged Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
under president Lyndon Johnson.
American Feud features the opinions of scholars, authors, historians, and partisan activists from the left, right and center. Archival film, photographs and electoral maps help to trace the history, influence and shifting meaning of these two terms over the past 120 years. It also makes a critical evaluation of the concept of "red states" and "blue states".
Participants
- Noam ChomskyNoam ChomskyAvram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
- G. Gordon LiddyG. Gordon LiddyGeorge Gordon Liddy was the chief operative for the White House Plumbers unit that existed from July–September 1971, during Richard Nixon's presidency. Separately, along with E. Howard Hunt, Liddy organized and directed the Watergate burglaries of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in...
- Howard ZinnHoward ZinnHoward Zinn was an American historian, academic, author, playwright, and social activist. Before and during his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United...
- Thomas FrankThomas FrankThomas Frank is an American author, journalist and columnist for Harper's Magazine. He is a former columnist for the Wall Street Journal, authoring "The Tilting Yard" from 2008 to 2010....
- Kevin Phillips (political commentator)Kevin Phillips (political commentator)Kevin Price Phillips is an American writer and commentator on politics, economics, and history. Formerly a Republican Party strategist, Phillips has become disaffected with his former party over the last two decades, and is now one of its most scathing critics...
- Michael Barone (pundit)Michael Barone (pundit)Michael Barone is a conservative American political analyst, pundit and journalist. He is best known for being the principal author of The Almanac of American Politics, a reference work concerning US governors and federal politicians, and published biennially by National Journal...
- David BoazDavid BoazDavid Boaz is the executive vice president of the Cato Institute, an American libertarian think tank. He played a key role in the Institute's development and the American libertarian movement....
- Michael KazinMichael KazinMichael Kazin is a professor of history at Georgetown University. He is co-editor of Dissent magazine. See his website: http://michaelkazin.com- Early life :...
- Mona CharenMona CharenMona Charen is an American columnist, political analyst, and the author of two best-selling books, Useful Idiots: How Liberals Got it Wrong in the Cold War and Still Blame America First and Do-Gooders: How Liberals Harm Those They Claim to Help — and the Rest of Us . Her political stance is...
- Lee EdwardsLee EdwardsLee Edwards is a distinguished fellow in conservative thought at the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies at The Heritage Foundation...
- Donna BrazileDonna BrazileDonna Brazile is an American author, professor, and political analyst affiliated with the Democratic Party. She was the first African American to direct a major presidential campaign, for Al Gore in 2000...
- Adrian Woolridge
- David Stoesz
Festivals
- Philadelphia Independent Film Festival
- Twin Rivers Media Festival
- Independents Film Festival
- Utopia Film Festival
- Takoma Park Film Festival