To what extent was Johnson’s Great Society successfully implemented?

Candidates will consider the merits or otherwise of the suggestion that Johnson successfully implemented his Great Society domestic policies. This programme launched the war on poverty in the US and attempted to improve the quality of life. He passed important legislation in healthcare, education, housing, civil rights and in relation to the environment. His programmes encountered obstacles from interest groups who felt that they threatened their influence or who feared the expansion of government power. The success of the programmes was limited by the Vietnam War, which drained large amounts of money from the programmes, created inflation, which weakened the economy and distracted Johnson from maintaining the programmes. Overall however, he made fundamental changes in American domestic policy particularly in civil rights, healthcare, education and employment. Success may be judged by the degree to which his proposed polices were implemented or carried out.