Strasbourg – – September 14, 2026 -- A new three-part documentary series, "USA 1960-1980: The Conservative Revolution," premieres online on ARTE starting September 29, with a TV broadcast set for Tuesday, October 6 at 8:15 PM. Directed by Cédric Tourbe and produced by ARTE France and La Générale de production, the French 2026 series runs three episodes of 53 minutes each.
The series traces how Ronald Reagan popularized the slogan "Make America Great Again" decades before Donald Trump, and how ultraconservative ideas spread through American society across two turbulent decades before Reagan's presidential election in 1980.
Goldwater's 1964 defeat awakens a dormant conservative movement
In the 1960s, American conservatives were widely dismissed as fringe voices on the far right of the Republican Party. The nomination of ultraconservative Senator Barry Goldwater as the 1964 presidential candidate surprised many. Though Goldwater lost the election, his campaign jolted the conservative movement out of its lethargy.
Backlash against civil rights and anti-war protests fuels a rightward shift
The end of racial segregation, student opposition to the Vietnam War, and the rising voice of feminists pushed many Americans toward conservative politics. Republican President Richard Nixon benefited from this shift, embracing some right-wing positions even though he could not be classified as a true conservative.
Economic crisis and evangelical power reshape the 1970s political landscape
Economic crisis, inflation, and the fallout from the Vietnam War defined the 1970s in the United States. Reagan and fellow conservatives fought against the Equal Rights Amendment and feminist activism during this period. The government aligned itself with the gun lobby, targeted welfare recipients with hostile rhetoric, and reformed tax policy in favor of wealthier Americans, while the evangelical right emerged as a decisive political force.