The history of the United States from 1964 to 1980 includes the climax and victory of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States; the escalation and ending of the Vietnam War; the feminism of the second wave; the drama of the generational revolt with its sexual liberties and drug use; the continuation of the Cold War, with his space race to take a man to the Moon. The economy was prosperous until the recession of 1969-70, and then decayed by external competition and high oil prices. American society was polarized by the ultimately futile war and by the protests against war and compulsory military service, as well as by the Watergate Case, which revealed corruption at the highest level of government. For 1980 and the taking of control of the American embassy in Iran there was a growing feeling of national malaise.
The period closed with the victory of the conservative Republican Ronald Reagan, initiating the "Reagan Era", with a drastic change in national leadership. The Democratic Party was divided into the theme of the Vietnam War and other foreign policy issues, with a new element based on young voters. Many of the Democrats considered liberal in other areas joined the neo-conservative movement and began to support the Republicans (especially Reagan) in foreign policy. Meanwhile, the Republicans were generally united in an intense American nationalism, a strong opposition to communism and a strong support for Israel.
The memories of the sixties formed the political landscape of the next half century. As the governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton, explained in 1990, "if you remember the sixties and you think there were more good things than bad, you're probably a Democrat." If you think you did more harm than good, you're probably a Republican "