Question

Evaluate the pros and cons of the Great Society. Did the program achieve its goals?

Answer 1

The Great Society was a large-scale social policy reform program of the federal government under Lyndon Johnson's administration, from 1963 to 1969. The program was proclaimed in early 1964, a few months after Johnson took over as President. The main objectives of the program were to fight against poverty, the empowerment of African Americans and other minorities, as well as comprehensive education and health reforms. Other aspects included environmental and consumer protection and the expansion of infrastructure.

The Great Society programs were strongly progressive and can be seen as a continuation of the New Deal. The Great Society programs were favored in the 1960s by several factors such as the political leadership style of President Johnson and the great successes of his Democratic Party in the 1964 elections. During his tenure, about 96 percent of the bills proposed by Johnson's administration were aprooved by the Congress, more than any other president. Many of the legislative measures and resulting programs continue to have a significant impact on many areas of life in the United States, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the Civil Rights Act, among others; so we can state that the program effectively achieved its goals.

Answer 2

Whether or not the Great Society was a success depends on how you define success. The bottom line is that it had no lasting effects. It did spur the country on to some form of optimism, and there's always Medicare and Medicaid.