American Feud: A History of Conservatives and Liberals is a 2008 documentary DVD by Richard Hall and Simone Fary.[1] The documentary takes a non partisan look at the history of liberalism and conservatism in the United States since the 1890s progressive era.[2]
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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.[3]American Feud traces the political and intellectual history of modern liberalism and modern conservatism through the 2006 mid-term congressional elections in which Democrats 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.[1]
American Feud features the opinions of scholars, authors, historians, and partisan activists from the left, right and center. [4] Archival film, photographs and electoral maps help to trace the history, influence and shifting meaning of these two terms over the past 120 years.[5] It also makes a critical evaluation of the concept of "red states" and "blue states".[6]