CW - The Great Society (Lesson)

The Great Society

President Lyndon B. Johnson pursued an ambitious legislative agenda known as the "Great Society."

Congress passed laws relating to immigration reform, protecting the environment, and civil rights. A key portion of the Great Society was a "War on Poverty" as President Johnson vowed to "end poverty in our time." The Great Society sought to provide access to educational, economic, and health care improvements through new federal programs. This increase in the number of programs and domestic spending for them was the largest since the New Deal under President Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression.

 

Did LBJ’s Great Society succeed?

Supporters (generally the people on the more liberal end of the political spectrum) argue that it did succeed as poverty rates fell significantly in the wake of the Great Society.

Opponents (generally on the more conservative end of the political spectrum) said it did not accomplish its goals as poverty rates have risen since their initial fall and that the programs have increased government dependency among the poor.

Liberals counter that poverty would have fallen further if spending on the programs had remained high and not been cut by subsequent administrations.

Conservatives have responded that the federal government is too big and inefficient to solve a complex problem like poverty. As a result, the debate continues, even in contemporary political campaigns

 

 

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